Reformed Daniel stories
by TheSilverFrames
Summary: Daniel has been working at Camp Campball for a month to prove he can change and become a better person. But the guilt from all the horrid things he did is beginning to overtake him. He's convinced he doesn't deserve happiness. David says otherwise. Or Daniel has issues and David ain't havin' none-a that! Danvid in later chapters!
1. Guilt on the mind and in the heart

It had been one month. One month. One damned month and it was still there. The guilt was still there. Granted Daniel knew that all this emotional baggage wouldn't go away within mere days. Hell, even a few weeks! But that didn't mean he didn't hope it would. As stated before, Daniel had been a co-counselor for pretty much a month now, after David -the saint he was- had convinced the police and court to give him a second chance. A chance that, in his eyes, he didn't deserve. He didn't deserve it at all. Not after everything he did. But nonetheless, David convinced them, somehow, to let him work at Camp Campbell for the rest of the summer, to prove that he could change. Daniel was convinced that the judge would right David off as just some crazy person and dismiss him. But to his complete shock, he agreed. Daniel was given some strict restrictions of course. He wasn't allowed to be alone with the children. He wasn't allowed near sharp objects or weapons. If he went into town David had to go with him. Things like that.

Daniel had become accustom to these new rules. While at first it was embarrassing and tedious to ask David or Gwen to cut his food for him, he got over it eventually. At least he was allowed to use forks…dull plastic forks. The only rule he didn't like was the one about going into town. It wasn't about the fact that David needed to be present when he went out, oh no, he could care less about that. It was the fact they assumed he'd even want to go to town in the first place. The blond could barely stand the hateful glares and constant angry whispers of the campers whenever he so much as walked near them or the untrusting looks from Gwen whenever he was near the kids or anything that could be considered a weapon. But going to a town where everyone knew about what he did and would more than likely hate him for it. No, not happening. The constant glares, looks and whispers had been easy to ignore or put up with in the beginning, but now, after a month of this treatment, it was beginning to take its tole on him.

He would try to put on a 'happy face' and act like everything was fine and dandy! But all he got in return were more glares and smart comments, usually from Max, who seemed to be most fixated on him. And he...he deserved it. Daniel would be lying if he said he didn't. He did so many bad things and for what? A stupid religion that some crackpot probably made up? What was wrong with him? A sigh fell from his mouth as he entered his room in the consulares quarters. He plopped himself on the edge of his bed and glanced over at a nearby mirror hanging on his wall. The face staring back at him was the definition of a broken person. Pale, glossed over eyes, downcast face, he looked pitiful. If he squinted, he could almost see his old self grinning back at him in that mirror. His old, evil self. The him that killed people, poisoned others and many more horrible things. He quickly tore his gaze away from the mirror with another shaky sigh and leaned forward, folding his arms and resting them on his legs. He could hear the face in the mirror reciting all his faults. Some in the voice of the campers and some in his own voice. All telling him how much of a terrible person he was, how he didn't deserve to be here, how everyone hated him.

The campers hated him, Gwen hated him, the only one at this camp that didn't hate him was David. David...god that man was a saint. He was constantly happy, optimistic and...forgiving. He was a nice man...David was better then him. Daniel felt his eyes tear up. David probably never did anything bad in his life while Daniel had done very horrible, terrible things. The tears now began to roll down his cheeks, he didn't even try to stop them. He was horrible, he was evil, everyone hated him and he deserved it. He deserved all the hatred. He deserved all the harsh comments. He deserved all the angry and suspicious looks. He deserved all the biting remarks. He deserved not to be trusted. He was a bad person. A small sob fell from his mouth. Daniel let his hands grip his arms tightly as he began to shake. He didn't deserve this second chance! He didn't deserve to be here! He didn't deserve kindness! He didn't deserve forgiveness! He didn't deserve anything! He-! "Daniel?" The blond's head shot up to his door. His tear filled eyes widened upon seeing the person that the voice belonged to. David stood in his doorway with his hand on the knob, a look of genuine concern on his face.

"Are you okay?" Daniel gave no immediate answer, merely staring wide-eyed up at the worried brunette. He then had the sudden realization that he'd been crying. He'd been so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even try to mask his noises or at least attempt to stop them. David became even more worried at the silence the other male was giving him. He quickly closed the door behind him and turned to look down at the teary-eyed man. "Why are you crying Daniel? What happened?" Daniel quickly wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand, however it did very little to stop them from falling. "I-It's nothing David, I'm fine." David's small frown deepened, an odd sight to see on the face of someone normally so optimistic. "You're not fine Daniel, what-!" Daniel cut him off with a cold glare. "It. Doesn't. Matter. David. It's. Nothing." David was taken aback by the blond's harsh tone, but he quickly regained himself, crossed the room and grabbed the man by his shoulders, looking him directly in they eyes. "Daniel, it does matter. You're upset and I want to help you. Please, what happened?"

'He's such a nice man...he's so much better than me.' Daniel shut his eyes tightly, his face screwed up in anger and pain and his hands balled into fists, gripping his arms tightly, almost enough to bruise. "Nothing happened David, okay!? Do you really want to know what's going on!? Guilt! My fucking guilt!" David jumped in surprise at the sudden outburst, releasing the other man's shoulders and stepping back a bit. Daniel used that opportunity to stand from his bed, letting his arms go and balling his hands into tight fists. He glared painfully at David. "I don't deserve this! Any of this! I don't deserve your kindness! I don't deserve to be here!" Daniel's body shook slightly. "Daniel...what are you saying? What do you mean you don't deserve-?" Daniel cut him off again. "I mean I shouldn't be here!" He shouted, tears now pouring down his face, his normally pale cheeks and nose flushing an angry red. "I should be dead! I should be in jail, incarcerated, locked up! I shouldn't be here! I've done horrible things! I'm nothing but a psychopath and a horrible person! I should be in the place that horrible people like me should be kept, in prison!"

Daniel emphasised his point by gesturing harshly to himself then gripping the front of his shirt. "I'm terrible! I don't deserve a second chance! I don't deserve forgiveness or trust! I don't deserve happiness! The campers hate me! Gwen hates me! People like me need to be put away to keep people safe from our fucked up actions! All I deserve is to be locked away like the animal I am!" Daniel's entire body shook visibly now, his breathing was harsh and his vision was blurry from the constant stream of tears falling down his face. "That's all I am. An animal." He whispered, his gaze shifting from David to the floor. He let out a broken sob as his negative emotions began catching up with him, making him feel shameful for shouting at David when the man had done nothing but show him concern. David stared in shock for a moment, replaying the outburst in his head. When the pieces finally slid together, David's expression softened. "Daniel…" The other man didn't respond, only keeping his head hung. David couldn't stand seeing Daniel in this state. He looked...so broken.

David closed the distance between them, pulling Daniel into a gentle embrace. Daniel stiffened up, he didn't know what to do. After a few moments he melted into the embrace, letting his arms wrap around David and resting his head on his shoulder. The blond threw his dignity out the window and began to cry freely. David rubbed his back and allowed him to let out all his bottled up emotions, the poor man needed it. Minutes went by before Daniel had managed to calm down. Neither men spoke for a little bit until finally David broke the silence. "You were wrong about what you said...about you not deserving anything." He didn't get a reply. "I know you don't believe me, but you do deserve happiness. You may have done some bad things, but you're trying to change. You're a good person, I can feel it." Daniel's face hardened slightly. "I called you a nobody." He mumbled into the man's shoulder. "That's in the past, I already forgave you." Daniel shook his head. "But I-!"

"Daniel," David started, pulling away from the embrace, grabbing his shoulders again and giving him a serious look. "I know what you're going to say and it's not true. You do deserve forgiveness. Everyone deserves a second chance. When I was brought into that courtroom I saw something in you. Regret. You admitted to what you did and expressed your regret. If you truly were all those things you said, then you wouldn't feel any regret, you wouldn't feel bad and you wouldn't want to change. Why do you think I spoke up?" He spoke in a serious tone, one Daniel was very surprised to hear. Seeing David of all people looking and acting serious was flooring and strangely...comforting? He couldn't quite explain it. "But...you're doing this for no reason. You're showing me all this unrelenting kindness and trust, but for what? You should've let me go to jail, I'm nothing but a burden to you." Daniel let his gaze fall to the floor. He was a burden to David, a pest, something that should be squashed without a second thought because it brings nothing but annoyance and disdain. "Daniel, look at me."

The blond did as he was told, looking back up at the brunette with a pitiful gaze. "Do you know why I'm doing this Daniel? Why I'm letting you work here? It's because I want to help you. I want to help you change. I'm not doing this because I have to. I'm doing this because I want to." He emphasized his statement by pointing at himself. "I wouldn't be doing this if I believed you were a truly bad person. You can change Daniel, but you have to stop putting yourself down in order to do that." He pulled him into another hug. "You deserve happiness, everyone does. The campers my not trust you yet, but they will eventually, it'll just take time and until then I'll be here to help you get there. You can change, I can see it. What you did was in the past, you need to start working on the present. I want to help you Daniel, please let me help you." Daniel didn't respond for a few moments. He was...shocked. David actually cared about him, he wasn't just doing this as a job, he actually believed in him.

Daniel's eyes teared up again, someone actually cared. "Okay." David grinned when he heard the answer. Yes! He got through to him! Now he could properly start working on helping Daniel become better. The embrace lasted a few more minutes before the two separated. Daniel was smiling softly and rubbing the tear stains from his face. "Feeling better?" Daniel laughed. "A hell of a lot better than I was an hour ago." David frowned and pouted at the other man. "Hey, language!" Daniel laughed again.


	2. Daytime Sleeping

Daniel let out a loud yawn as he entered the mess hall, rubbing his heavy, baggy eyes with his wrist. He ignored all the quick glares and whispers that he earned from entering and made his way over to the Quartermaster and grabbed one of the stale biscuits he was serving for breakfast that morning. Quietly walking over to the table that Gwen was seated at, he plopped down and began to munch lazily on the breakfast food he had been given. Gwen shot the blonde man a glare when he sat down and rolled her eyes when he let out another yawn. "Did you not get that much sleep, Daniel?" She questioned though, her voice was laced with distrust and annoyance. Daniel frowned up at Gwen. The young woman still didn't like or trust him, not that he really blamed her.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly again and shook his head. "Not get much sleep? Try none at all, I was up all night." He had never been a very good sleeper. Even before he had been forced into the cult by his parents when he was a child, Daniel had been a very, very light sleeper. Any small sound or noise would rouse him from his sleep, living in the city didn't really help due to all the passing cars and barking dogs. After the 'Kool-aid Incident' his sleeping patterns considerably worsened. The sounds of nature kept him up. Animals, leaves, all of it kept him from sleeping for long. But if the noises didn't keep him awake, then the nightmares definitely did. Most of his nightmares were consistent.

They would start at Camp Campbell. The children would be dressed in all white, laughing and staring up at him with wide dead eyes and dilated pupils. A purple substance would be dripping from their mouths. They'd start to slowly walk towards him, he'd try to run, but for some reason his legs wouldn't work. The children would tackle him, pin him to the ground, no amount of struggling would break him free. Then he would see...himself, his old, crazy self approaching him. His eyes were completely purple and drippy, almost like they were melting and the same purple liquid would be dripping from his monster-like grin. In his hand he would hold a red solo-cup full of a familiar purple drink. Without warning, he would kneel next to him, force his mouth open and begin to pour the cup's contents down his throat. The children's laughing would stop and instead would change to the loud chanting of; "Join us Daniel, ascend. Join us Daniel, ascend."

Then he would wake up, clutching his neck and gasping for air. That was the nightmare he had the most. He had others too, but this one shook him up the most. It was yet another reminder of what he did. Daniel propped his head in his hand and quietly finished his biscuit. On days like this Daniel normally would get a mug of coffee to wake himself up a bit, but the coffee maker in the counselor's quarters had broke down the previous day so he had to settle for a cup of milk. Oh well, he'd been through worse. The food in his system did little to stop his exhaustion, if anything, it made it harder to stay awake. Daniel's heavy eyelids slid shut as he began to nod off. For a few brief moments Daniel had fallen into a dull slumber. Maybe he could get in a few extra minutes of rest before the day truly began. It helped that the campers were normally docile in the morning, so there was little noise in the mess hall, save for some low whispering. It was almost peaceful.

"Gooooood morning, Campbell Campers!" Daniel was startled out of his calming sleep by David bursting through the mess hall doors with his normal and seemingly unending enthusiasm. A few groans came from the campers and Daniel. He was not in the mood for this. It was way too early for happiness and Daniel was way too tired. David smiled as he individually wished the campers a good morning, only receiving a few grunts in response. Then David made his way over to the table that Gwen and Daniel were seated at. "Good morning, Gwen!" The woman in question shot David a quick glance. "G'morning David." She mumbled, before taking a bite out of her biscuit. David's grin grew a bit from the response and he turned to Daniel. "Good morning, Daniel!" The blonde flinched a bit from the loud greeting and stared up at David with half-lidded eyes. "Morning, David." Daniel rubbed at his eyes again. David's smile disappeared and was replaced with a look of concern. He had taken notice of the dark circles under Daniel's bright blue eyes.

"Daniel, are you okay?" He asked, voice full of genuine worry. Daniel shrugged. "I didn't get much sleep last night." He admitted, choking back another yawn. "It's nothing though, I've been through this before, I'll deal with it." He muttered tiredly. David's mouth gaped. "You've been through this before?" Now David did have a few sleepless nights over the course of his life, but Daniel looked like he hadn't slept in weeks! "Yeah, not getting sleep has pretty much been most of my life at this point, I'll just take a cold shower later and I'll be fine." Daniel waved off David's shocked look and continued to chew on his biscuit. Suddenly the man felt himself being lifted up, causing his head to whirl around to see who had their hands on him. It was David. David shifted the other man so that he was holding him bridal style. The realization of his current position set in quickly and Daniel's face turned bright crimson. The campers began to all whisper amongst themselves, their eyes planted firmly on the blonde in David's arms. Oh god, this was embarrassing! The campers were staring at him! Gwen was staring at him! Oh god! 'How is David strong enough to pick me up?"

"David! What are you doing!?" Daniel whispered harshly, staring wide-eyed at the grinning brunette. David began carrying the struggling blonde out of the mess-hall and towards the counselor's quarters. "Getting you to get some sleep!" He responded in a sing-song tone. "What? D-David, I'm fine!" He retorted, still questioning how David was strong enough to pick him up. The man continued his arguing the entire walk to the counselor's quarters. David managed to open the door to the cabin, briskly walk down the hallway and entered Daniel's room. By now, Daniel was annoyed and very embarrassed, but he couldn't fight the man holding him due to how drained his body was. Still, he buried his face in his hands to cover up how flustered he was. "Gah! D-David, just-! Would you put me down already!" He blurted out in frustration. This was too embarrassing for the poor blonde. "Okay!" Without warning, David dropped Daniel, causing him to bounce when he hit his mattress.

When Daniel recovered from the initial shock, he stared up at the grinning brunette standing next to his bed. "David, I'm fine. I don't need sleep, this is normal for me, it happens all the time!" David dropped his enthusiasm and for once switched to being slightly serious. "Daniel, you do need sleep. It's concerning for this to be a regular occurrence. It shouldn't be normal, It's unhealthy to have bad sleeping patterns." He stated firmly, keeping his forest green eyes locked with Daniel's bright blue ones. Daniel shivered at David's firm tone. It wasn't the first time David had discarded his joyful and happy tone for a more serious one, but it never ceased to make Daniel listen. Something about David of all people suddenly acting serious was so wrong and yet so right at the same time. "But, what about you and Gwen? Won't the children be too much for you?" David couldn't help but smile a bit at the question. "We'll be just fine, after all we had to watch after all the campers by ourselves before you became a co-counselor." Daniel averted his gaze from David and frowned. He still felt slightly guilty about the idea of letting David and Gwen take care of the campers by themselves.

"Daniel, right now you don't need to worry about me and Gwen. Right now, you need to worry about you." Daniel stared up at David in surprise. First, David's a nice, concerned person and now he's a mind reader? "Missing one day isn't going to hurt you, in this case especially, it will help you. You won't be able to help with the campers if you're falling asleep standing up. You need rest." Daniel let David's statement set in, then he nodded his head. "Okay...I'll rest for today." David's smile came back in full swing when the blonde man finally gave in. "Great! I'll let you get some well deserved sleep then!" He beamed happily as he practically skipped towards the door, pausing just outside it to throw out a; "Have a good sleep, Daniel!" before closing the door behind him.

Daniel continued staring at the door for a few seconds before sighing. Might as well attempt to get some rest. Who knows? Maybe this time the nightmares will leave him alone. Pulling his blanket over his body, Daniel laid on his bed in silence, not even bothering to change into his sleepwear. He replayed David's words in his head for a good few minutes. 'Daniel, right now you don't need to worry about me and Gwen. Right now, you need to worry about you.' He smiled a bit as he thought back to the look of concern on David's face when he told him that not sleeping was a normal occurrence for him. That man was way too caring for his own good. It was heartwarming at times, not that Daniel would say that out loud. But he still wondered how David was strong enough to pick him up without trouble. Heh, maybe David's stronger than he gave him credit for. Daniel didn't take notice, but his eyes had begun to drift closed. David was a nice man. He was glad that he at the very least has him when at times, it almost felt like he had no one. Soon the blonde allowed the peaceful embrace sleep to overtake his body.

Daniel had no nightmares that day...


	3. The Magic in Friendship

Daniel sat silently on one of the benches near the Camp stage, staring off into space and frowning. A few days had gone by since David had made him get some rest, by very embarrassing means and Daniel was now trying to change his sleeping patterns. He didn't want to make David worry. He still had a few nightmares here and there, but David's concern made him want to get better. Today was Saturday, aka free day. All the campers were doing their own things, hanging out with their groups or by themselves while Daniel zoned out on a bench. Normally Daniel would stay in his room on free days, but David suggested for him to go outside and try to get to know the campers in hopes of making friends with them. The blonde would've attempted to reject the idea, but David looked so overjoyed about the suggestion and he really didn't want to make him upset. So the man went along with it and tried to get to know the campers...It went about as well as you'd think it did.

As he expected, the campers wanted nothing to do with him. When Daniel tried engaging with them, he would either get angry remarks or just straight up ignored. Now he just sitting by himself and staring into space. Maybe he could just tell David that this wasn't working? No! He didn't want to annoy him. Maybe...he could lie? No! He didn't want to take advantage of David's trust. David was the only friend he had, he didn't want to ruin that. He sighed in frustration as he thought over his options. What should he do? He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. As he continued to think, the sound of shouting caught his attention. Daniel's head shot up to see what the source was. Harrison and Nerris stood in front of Nerris' tower, yelling and making angry gestures at each other, obviously arguing again. "You're nothing but a street performer Harrison! An annoying street performer!" Nerris shouted, her words slightly slurred due to her braces. Harrison looked very offended by that and quickly retorted; "At least a street performer can make money! Have fun making any money with your dragons and elves!"

Nerris gasped over dramatically and glared harshly at the annoyed looking Harrison. "You know what Harrison!? You can kindly fuck off!" She shouted. "With pleasure!" Harrison yelled back at her, before stomping off in the direction of the stage. He let out a huff and sat down in the grass. Daniel watched as the young man grabbed the top hat from off his head and glared at it. He looked the hat over with a critical eye, as though there was something wrong with it, then he let out an aggravated shout and tossed the hat away from him. It landed in the grass in front of Daniel. The blonde man frowned at the hat, then looked from it to Harrison, who had pulled his legs to his chest and buried his head in his knees. He felt a pang of sympathy for the young man. He was clearly upset and, from the look he gave his hat, had some pent up feelings that he didn't quite know how to get out. Grabbing the hat from off the ground, Daniel stood from the bench he was seated on and made his way over to the boy sitting on the ground.

"Hey," Daniel kept his voice leveled and calm as to not startle or upset the boy more. "I think this belongs to you." Harrison lifted his head from his knees and stared up at Daniel, who had taken a seat next to him on the ground. Slowly, the young brunette accepted the hat, still staring at it as though it had wronged him in some way. "Thanks…" The blonde looked to the hat, then back to Harrison. "Nerris really got to you, didn't she?" The younger male's grip tightened on the top hat and he nodded his head angrily. "Yes! No matter what tricks I do, she always disses them, makes fun of me and claims that she is the more magical camper!" He exclaimed, only to then let his voice die down to a whisper. "I already know that I suck at this, she doesn't need to make it worse." That really caught Daniel's attention. Harrison thinks he sucks at magic? But that makes not sense. From what Daniel had observed, the young man was very talented when it came to magic.

He'd seen the boy do things that he didn't even think was possible. Why would he possibly think that he was bad at magic? "What do you mean?" He asked. Harrison didn't look up from the hat, but Daniel could see his face fall. "I was sent to this camp because...I made my brother disappear and I couldn't bring him back." Daniel blinked in surprise. He was not expecting that answer. "How did you do that?" Harrison finally lifted his head, showing his broken look. "That's just it, though! I don't know how I did it! I just read about the trick in a book and I wanted to practice it on my brother," He paused. "But when I made him disappear, I couldn't figure out how to bring him back. My parents haven't really spoken well of me since then and sent me here because of that." Harrison let his eyes fall back on the hat. "Now whenever I mess up, Nerris or the others are right behind me, pointing it out and making fun of me." He mumbled dejectedly.

Daniel didn't know how to respond for a few moments, he was honestly not expecting any of that. He couldn't really imagine a child going through anything like that at all, especially his parents not speaking well of him. For a minute he was reminded of his own childhood. He was reminded of his parents, how he was forced into the cult at a young age, how when they got upset with him they would-! Daniel quickly blocked out the memories before he became too far gone, he was here to help Harrison, not feel bad about himself. "I wouldn't take what Nerris or the other children say to heart, children...can be cruel and they often say things that they don't mean. Nerris will come around, I'm sure of it." Daniel reached out and patted Harrison on the shoulder. "When you put two people with similar interests in one place together, there will be competition. I doubt she'll kept this up forever." Harrison stared up at Daniel with wide eyes, not knowing how to respond. Daniel caught on and gently pushed the boy's top hat towards him.

"Now, why don't you try some magic with that hat of yours. I've heard you're good at it." For a minute Harrison did nothing, then a smile made its way onto his face. "Sure! Do you like cats?" The young man shifted so that he was sitting on his knees, reached into his hat, but he pulled out a rabbit, not a cat. "Or, uh, rabbits?" Daniel laughed a bit and smirked down at Harrison. "Seeing as I'm allergic to cats, I'm fine with the rabbit. Rabbits are sweet animals." Harrison gently handed the rabbit to Daniel, who let the little creature rest in his lap. Silence filled the area for a little bit while Daniel rubbed the little rabbit's back. Then Harrison broke the silence. "You know...Max says that we shouldn't trust you, he keeps telling us that you're just putting up an act and that you're going to turn on us…" Daniel winced but he managed to keep his face even. He prayed that Harrison hadn't seen it.

"But...I don't think that's true. You've been trying to get to know us and you haven't tried anything since you got here. You're actually trying to be nice." He smiled up at the older blonde. "And you did just make me feel better." Daniel stared at the boy in shock for a minute, then a smile slowly crept its way onto his face. "I'm glad to see that someone trusts me. You're not a pretty bad kid yourself." Harrison smirked. "Also, it was pretty funny to watch David pick you up and carry you out of the mess-hall a few days ago." Daniel's face flushed bright red in embarrassment as he tried to reply, only succeeding in making Harrison laugh more. And that's where Daniel spent his day, talking with Harrison and watching him do magic tricks. Little did either of them know, a certain boy in a blue hoodie was watching them from afar.

* * *

Later, when lunch came around, Daniel sat with Gwen and David. He and David talked about their day while Gwen silently read a book next to them. Daniel brought up the fact that he had befriended Harrison much to David's excitement. The brunette began asking the blonde many questions, making Daniel laugh and roll his eyes. David was such an easily overjoyed man, but Daniel was glad he made him happy. And for once, Daniel himself was happy. Amazing how a day could start out so dull and become so good over time. Then suddenly, the sound of shouting caught the attention of the three counselors and they each looked over in the direction of the commotion. "Why would you become friends with him!?" Max's voice cut through the air like a knife, making everyone in the vicinity turn to stare at him. "Because he's nice, Max!" Harrison yelled, glaring daggers at the younger male and leaning forward on the table he was previously sitting at. "Nice!? That crazy cultist tried to fucking kill us, Harrison!" Max swore angrily, he couldn't believe that Harrison would be dumb enough to befriend Crazy Cult Daniel!

"He helped me today, Max! I was feeling like shit, he was nice and cheered me up! No one's ever done that for me! He's trying to change!" He argued, gesturing to the blonde sitting in shock at a nearby table. "This is all a fucking act! I told you before that he's just going to turn around and kill you like he was going to in the first place, what are you going to do then, dumbass?!" Max shouted. "He's not going to! I know he won't!" Max growled at the other boy and opened his mouth to continue the argument, but he was cut off by David, who had finally snapped from his stunned silence. "That's enough!" David quickly crossed the room to the hooded boy. "Max, if Harrison wants to be friends with Daniel, that's his decision, not yours." He scolded, albeit in his soft, David-y way. The rolled his eyes and threw out a; "Don't come bitching to me when I turn out to be right, Harrison." before being ushered back to his table that Nikki and Neil were seated at. Harrison stuck his tongue out at the cynical ten year old, then sat down with a huff and continued to eat his lunch.

David came back to the table and sat back down. "Now that's over, let's get back to our conversation Daniel!" The brunette beamed, his happy attitude returning quite quickly. "...Daniel?" The blonde wasn't paying attention, he was too shocked about what just occurred. He glanced at Max for a brief moment and earned a glare from the young man. His bright blue eyes, then landed on Harrison, who was still fuming over the situation. He seemed genuinely upset about what Max had said. Daniel thought over the whole situation and the shock inside him slowly turned into amazement. Harrison just stood up for him. It was in that moment that the full realization that Daniel had actually befriended someone that wasn't David hit him and it left him in a complete state of surprise. Wow. "Daniel, are you okay?" David's question snapped him out of his silence and he turned back to him. "Yeah…" Daniel began, a small smile making its way onto his pale face as his eyes made their way back to Harrison, who was now talking with Preston. "I'm...I'm just fine, David. Just fine."


	4. A mirror image

Daniel slammed the door to the restroom as he ran inside. His breathing was fast and his fists were clenched tight. Today was not a good day. It was a horrible day. Ever since Daniel had befriended Harrison, Max had made it his goal to make Daniel's life a living hell. From putting bugs in his bed while he was sleeping to outright making fun of him when David wasn't around, the boy had become obsessed with the blonde male. David had scolded the young man whenever he caught on to Max's schemes, but he never listened. Today, Max crossed a line. During one of the activities, Daniel had stood off to the side, leaning against a tree, watching the children while David talked with the campers. Then Max came and stood by him. The next few minutes consisted of him pushing Daniel's buttons. Daniel ignored him with a roll of his eyes, he'd grown used to the remarks from the campers, Max's were no different. However, one thing that Max brought up sent him over the edge. "I still find it fucking hilarious that David forgave you so easily. You called him a nobody, tried to fucking kill us and drank your own poison, then again David's a fucking idiot so I shouldn't be surprised."

Max took notice of how Daniel tensed up when he mentioned the 'Kool-aid incident' and a mischievous grin spread across his face. "I mean, how the fuck do you screw up that bad? Drinking your own poison! Only a dumbass would do that!" Daniel's hands balled into tight fists in his pants pockets, his breath sped up a bit, but he didn't respond. "You know, I actually thought you were smart when I first met you. You had David wrapped around your finger, but then you made the stupidest mistake of poisoning yourself, how do you do something so fucking stupid?" That. That's what sent Daniel over the edge. Without a word, the blonde walked away from the tree he was leaning against and once he was out of sight from Max, he broke out into a spirit towards the counselor's quarters. That's what lead him to where he was now, standing in the small bathroom provided by the Camp and shaking slightly. He made his way over to the slightly rusted sink and leaned forward, gripping the sides of the dull silver appliance.

Daniel lifted his head to look up at his reflection in the mirror hanging above the sink. The person looking back at him...was a broken man. His face was pale and slightly sweaty. He sighed shakily and hung his head. He needed to calm down and not let Max's words get to him. "Why did you leave?" Daniel's body tensed and he slowly looked back up at the mirror. A familiar face stared back at him. A very familiar face. A very familiar face that he did not want to see. Daniel's own face hardened and he let out a growl. "Well, when you accidentally drink poisoned kool-aid, have to get your stomach pumped and get stuck in a hospital full of people who hate you, you begin to rethink your life." Daniel had to force himself to mention the 'kool-aid incident'. He hated to think about almost dying, the pain, the lack of air, it was terrifying. The person in the mirror grinned, tilting his head. "You survived it though! Do you remember how much rat poison was in that kool-aid? Anyone else would have been dead in under a minute, before the ambulance would have even got there!"

Daniel glared at the face in the mirror. "Still." The blonde spat. "It was pure luck that I survived. Almost dying makes you think some things over, question the choices you've made in life and I decided that I don't want to be a psychopathic killer." The reflection frowned at him, giving him his equivalent of a puppy-dog look. "But Danny, they were your friends. They depended on you and trusted you. You were the most loyal follower of Zeemoog." His voice was very condescending. "Friendships die, like I almost did and you think I didn't trust them? Hell, I put my life on the line on multiple occasions, almost got arrested several times and not to mention, I killed people." Daniel growled, gripping the sides of the sink so hard that his knuckles began to turn white. "But you lived, you escaped, and you enjoyed…" The reflection muttered, purple drippy eyes burning into Daniel's bright blue ones. "Yes, back when I barely thought for myself. I felt less like a person when I was in that cult than I ever have since I left. I feel…sick…about the fact that I actually liked killing…a normal person doesn't like that sort of thing."

"What is normal, Danny? What defines a normal person? Murder is definitely not unnatural. It's everywhere in nature, everywhere. You just hadn't yet tainted your mind against it, so you allowed yourself to enjoy it." The reflection grinned, making more purple liquid spill from his mouth. "Murder may be everywhere, but that sure as hell doesn't mean it's normal. A predator and prey relationship is a normal part of nature, but a person killing another in cold blood is a different thing altogether. That's why I feel sick when I think back to everything I did. It. Was. Wrong." Daniel growled out. "It wasn't in cold blood, Danny! You were purifying them and helping them ascend!" The reflection argued. "Bullshit!" Daniel slammed his fist on the sink, anger and pain leaking into him, before pointing a finger at the mirror. "I'm not as naive as you think I am! It was cold blooded murder and you know it!" He shouted. "It was not! You WERE helping them to ascend! You were bringing them to a better place where there is no negativity! Where everything is peaceful and good! Where they can be happy!"

"And what exactly do you know about happiness!?" He barked angrily. "It must not be much if you think about what has to happen to you in order to reach 'ascension'." Daniel began to shake in anger as his voice started rising. "I personally had to go through it due to that damned kool-aid incident and let me tell you something a little shocking; Ingesting poison is not pleasant!" He shouted. "Not only could I not breath, but my vision started to slip and my body started burning! The other methods of 'ascension' are not very fun either!" Daniel's hands began to tremble as he tried to contain his anger. The reflection tilted his head again. "What is a very short period time of pain for eternal happiness and pleasure?" Daniel slammed his fist down again, harder this time. "In my eyes, no! No, it is not! Eternal happiness may sound fine and dandy at first, but when you remember everything you had to give up in order to get that, everything changes! You have to leave behind your friends, family, your life, everything… It's not worth it."

Daniel could feel the anger starting to cloud his mind. Pain too, began to seep it's into his body. Tears started welling up in his eyes, but he quickly forced them down. "So negative. The dark toxins must be getting to you Danny~" There it was. That goddamn mocking tone. "Dark toxins don't fucking exist!" Daniel reared back one of his fists and, with no hesitation, slammed it into the mirror, causing it to crack slightly, but he felt no pain from it, due to the adrenaline in his system. "If dark toxins exist in your mind then, fine! I probably do have them! After all the shit I experienced in that fucking cult, I wouldn't be surprised! Especially after I lost the two people I actually gave a shit about!" Daniel gasped slightly after the last sentence left his lips, pain and sadness now mixing evenly with the anger and rage. "Oh my~ Am I bringing back bad memories, Danny?" When Daniel didn't respond, the reflection continued. "It was their choice Danny, they wanted to ascend, to go to the place where they could be happy and free of all negativity."

Daniel let out a low growl. "This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been forced into the cult. They wouldn't have died if they hadn't believed all the bullshit that cult said. I wouldn't have been poisoned if it I hadn't been forced into that damned cult." He muttered to himself as many bad memories began to service in the blonde's mind. "That's was your own fault, Danny." Daniel's head snapped up to glare darkly at the reflection. "My fault!?" He exclaimed. "So it's my fault that I was forced to join that cult!?" He reared his fist back and slammed it into the mirror again. "It's my fault that I almost died!?" Another slam of his fist, this time drawing blood as the mirror cracked more. "You should have been paying more attention, Danny. Then you wouldn't have been poisoned. Maybe if you had paid more attention to your parents, then maybe you could have stopped them from dying." Daniel felt his whole body tense up. Anger once more clouded his mind, making him slam his fist into the mirror again, cracking it more.

Shards of glass slid into his knuckles, making them bleed. "I couldn't have stopped them even if I tried! I wasn't there when they drank the damn poison! I couldn't have done anything! Don't you dare imply that I wasn't paying attention to them!" Daniel cursed, trembling in anger. "Aww, is little Danny upset because his parents didn't love him enough to stay alive? How pathetic." The reflection's voice dripped with false pity. Daniel's breathing sped up, tears began filling his eyes once more, this time he didn't push them away. "Stop reminding me of them, goddamn it! If they hadn't joined that damned cult, then…" Tears started falling down his face as early memories of his parents began to surface. "Then they would've still loved me...they wouldn't have...left me…" The mirror laughed. "Hit a few nerves there, didn't I Danny?" Daniel's face twisted up in anger and pain. The adrenaline leaving his body, making him start feeling the pain in his knuckles. "What's wrong, Danny? Did you hurt yourself, again?"

"Leave me alone, Cultist!" Daniel reared back for a final time and slammed his fist into the mirror, the sound of glass falling to the ground filled the room. A good part of the mirror was broken, revealing the wooden back of it, the rest was cracked heavily. Making the reflection staring back at him, slightly warped. Said reflection stared down at him, his face for once showed no emotion. "Fine." The blonde looked up at the mirror in shock. "Just remember, you can't escape me, Daniel. We are one and the same. I am you." Cultist glared down at the man. "I'm who you should be." With that, Cultist disappeared, leaving behind the actual reflection of Daniel, the broken man. Silence reigned as Daniel stared at his pale, teary-eyed face in the mirror. Then he broke down. Daniel let his hand uncurl from a fist and fall to his side. Blood freely dripped from the various cuts on his knuckles to the floor, making a quite dripping sound. Daniel's entire body shook and he began to cry.

Why did he have to join that cult? Why did his parents have to join that cult? Why did they believe everything the cult said? Why did they have to die!? Why-! "Daniel?" The man in question jumped in surprise, spinning around to face the person that walked in. His eyes widened upon seeing the man that had entered. "D-David..." The brunette stared at Daniel, then he walked forward slowly. "Daniel...what's wrong?" The blonde stared back at him for a few seconds. Then, without a second thought, he threw his arms around the other man and shoved his face in his shoulder.. He didn't care about his dignity at this point, he just wanted to be held by someone, to be comforted, to be loved. David was taken aback by the sudden action, but he recovered quickly and wrapped his arms around the disgruntled male. "Hey, hey, it's okay. It's okay, Daniel." The man spoke softly, rubbing the crying blonde's back. "David! David! Oh god, David!" Was all the Daniel could say in between sobs. "I'm here, Daniel, I'm here. Let it out, everything is okay."

Minutes passed as Daniel stood crying his eyes out in David's arms, it took him a little while to calm down. Finally, Daniel's crying died down to sniffling and David gently pulled the man out of the embrace. "Feel better?" He nodded, rubbing his eyes with the back of his wrist. "Daniel, what happened? Harrison said that he saw you run in here looking upset." Daniel averted his gaze and thought of a response. He didn't want to tell David about Cultist, the man would think he was insane. Or well, more insane than he already was. "Max...Max said something that...brought up some bad memories and I ran in here to try and calm down. It...didn't work." David nodded. "I noticed. What did Max say?" The blonde frowned. "He brought up the," He shivered. "Kool-aid incident." David nodded his head understandingly, frowning. "I see, It looks like I'll need to talk with Max about how to talk to adults, again." His eyes then shifted to Daniel's still bleeding hand. "Daniel! What happened to your hand?!" The brunette grabbed his hand gently, looking over the various cuts and pieces of glass sticking in his skin.

"Uh...I...uh...punched the mirror...several times." Daniel explained sheepishly, looking embarrassed. David looked over Daniel's shoulder at the broken and cracked mirror. "Oh...Daniel." David muttered softly, giving the man a worried look. "I was...really upset. I lost control of my emotions. I'm sorry." Daniel sniffled, not meeting the brunette's concerned forest green eyes. "Daniel, I'm not worried about the mirror, I'm worried about you. This," He gestured to the blonde's bloody hand. "Is not okay, you can't take out your pain like this. It's unhealthy." David explained softly, making Daniel look up at him with a sad frown. "I know...I just didn't know what else to do." David put a hand on his shoulder. "Next time, come to me. I'll help you, okay?" He squeezed his shoulder gently. "You don't need to be afraid to talk to me." Daniel stared at the man for a few moments, then he smiled softly. "Okay, David." The brunette smiled back at him, then gestured to the door. "Now, how's about we get the glass out of your hand and get it bandaged up?" Daniel nodded his head. "I say, yes." David kept Daniel's hand in his and walked with him to the door. "David?" The brunette turned his head to look at Daniel. "Yes, Daniel?" Daniel smiled at him, squeezing his hand. "Thank you…"


	5. The little things he does

If you were to ask Daniel what made him fall for his nature loving co-worker, he wouldn't be able to give you a very definitive answer. There were many little things that David would do that Daniel liked about him. For one, the man's concentration face was straight up adorable. When David concentrated on anything, his face would scrunch up a bit, his eyebrows would furrow and, on some occasions, he would stick his tongue out of the side of his mouth like a dog. It was cute, really cute. David always got this sparkle in his eyes whenever he spoke about something he loved, normally nature. The way his forest green eyes would light up when he talked extensively about flowers, animals or types of trees was strangely, endearing.

The way David handled the campers, despite how… troublesome they could be, was often a sweet sight. It was obvious that the man cared deeply for all the children at Camp Campbell. He especially cared about Max. Despite how much Max seemed to despise Daniel with a burning passion, he appeared to have grown a soft spot for the happy-go-lucky, nature loving counselor. Daniel didn't know where the turning point had started, but nonetheless, Max seemed to have grown nicer to David. He was still the cynical, troublemaking ten-year old that everyone at the camp had come to know, but he had noticeably softened his anger towards the enthusiastic brunette, albeit very subtly. Daniel only caught onto it due to him being around David so much and he had to admit, it was nice to see Max talk to David more. He'd even started calling him "Camp Man" instead of just calling him a bunch of insults.

David sang beautifully. Daniel would admit, he was a singer himself, as well as a bit of a musician, but David… there was something about his voice that put the blonde's own voice to shame. He wasn't complaining, quite the opposite, he loved to hear the brunette sing! He had this energetic, upbeat tone that really grabbed his attention when he sang. It was David's singing that kept him coming back to the campfires that were held every Friday, when he would normally want to stay alone in his room. Not to mention when David sang softer songs. It was astonishing how David could shift for singing an upbeat campfire song to a soft, calm tune without issue. His voice would turn so sweet, almost like a lullaby. His voice was enough to lull even a troubled sleeper like Daniel to a deep sleep. Along with his amazing guitar playing, David could really make it as a singer.

Daniel sometimes wondered why David didn't pursue a career in singing or at the very least, songwriting. He could make some major money if he did. Then again, with how much he loved Camp Campbell, Daniel highly doubted he would ever give up his current job. David would hum little tunes and songs throughout the day and, on many occasions, would begin singing out loud without a care in the world. While the campers, and Gwen, often found it annoying, Daniel found it lovely. On many occasions, he would find himself humming or singing softly along with the other male. David had this very childlike innocence to him. Things would fly over the man's head all the time, making him seem very oblivious. When something interesting would catch the brunette's eye, he would get this look of awe and amazement, like a child opening a present on Christmas day. It was so, darn, cute! It gave the man a kind of cute charm, one that Daniel couldn't really describe.

The thing that stuck out the most to him though, was his caring heart.

This man had a heart of goddamn gold! Half the time Daniel didn't think that David had a mean bone in his body. The love and care he had for everyone at Camp Campbell was a truly admirable thing. He seemed to have a bond with each of the individual campers, heck, he could make a list of facts about each of them. His relationship with Max was truly sweet, especially after the young boy had put him through hell since day one. It was a testament to how persistent David could be when it came to helping someone that he deemed needing it. If Daniel hadn't known any better, he would say that David had become like a father figure to Max.

David and Gwen's relationship was also a good example of how kind of a person the counselor was. On off days the two would have movie nights, Daniel had been invited to join by David, but didn't come that often. He really didn't want to intrude, despite David always telling him that he wasn't. David didn't force him to come though, he allowed him to read quietly in his room. Daniel had walked in on the two a few times when they were in the middle of a movie. They always seemed to be enjoying themselves. Gwen would usually be making smart comments about how dumb the characters were being while David would be laughing or hugging a pillow if it was a scary movie. The two were really close, even if you have to look behind the scenes to see that. Best friends by definition.

Then… there was how David treated Daniel. This man treated Daniel so well that...it was jarring. The brunette held zero grudges against the him and even treated him like a friend! It made no sense! In the eyes of, well, anyone else, Daniel would be seen as evil and untrustworthy! But David saw the opposite in him. He trusted him, he saw the good in him and… he cared about him. When Daniel was about to be sentenced to jail or worse… the death penalty, David stood from where he was seated and begged for the judge to give him a second chance, to let him prove that he could change for the better. Daniel remembered meeting eyes with David during that speech. He looked determined to keep Daniel out of jail. How he managed to persuade the judge and jury in one speech, Daniel would probably never know, but one thing was clear, David would be leaving that courtroom with Daniel.

His kindness didn't stop there! When Daniel needed a shoulder to cry on, David was right there to provide him comfort. The man was gentle and never pressed the blonde to tell him what was wrong. He would just hold him, help him calm down and wait for when he was ready to talk with him. Growing up being denied any form of affection left Daniel feeling touch-starved, so all this comfort and kindness felt… so nice. If Daniel had gotten hurt, David would carefully and gently patch him up. Whenever David would ruffle his hair or put an arm around his shoulder, it never ceased to make Daniel's face flush. Whenever he praised him or did something cute, it turned his insides to mush and made him swoon. This man treated him with such kindness, such friendliness, such compassion! He… he was just so, so right. At the moment Daniel was at his worst, David gave him the one thing he needed, a friend. Now, Daniel wanted nothing more than to be held in the arms of that man, to be loved and cared for by him and to be told that everything is okay.

Daniel stood leaning up against a tree, watching David teach the campers about tying knots when the brunette noticed him. The nature lover grinned at the blonde, showing off that adorable smile. Then he waved at him, causing Daniel's face to burn a bright crimson as he waved back. Daniel had fallen for David. He had fallen for David, hard.


	6. A small act

Daniel sat on the ground outside, on his lap was a salad. It was lunch time at Camp Campbell and blonde man decided to eat outside for once. Normally, everyone would eat lunch inside the mess-hall, but today Daniel wanted to eat alone. It wasn't that he didn't like eating with the campers, David and Gwen, he just wanted some time to himself. Sometimes a man just needs a little alone time. Today had been surprisingly good. David had kept to his word and spoke to Max about his constant insults, while he didn't completely stop, he did tone it down a little bit. Even the other campers hadn't messed with in a while. It was still evident that they didn't trust him very much, but it was progress. Maybe the children were getting used to him being around. He honestly hoped so.

He sighed contently, stuffing a spoonful of salad into his mouth, some of the lettuce falling from the spoon and onto the ground. This was nice. As Daniel went to scoop up another bit of salad, a loud crunching noise coming from beside him caught him off guard. The blonde looked down, confused at what could be making that sound since he was the only one outside at the moment. A pair of small black eyes stared into Daniel's sky blue ones. A little rabbit sat next to the man, it's white fur dotted with light brown patches, a bit of lettuce hanging from it's tiny mouth. Daniel blinked, staring at the small animal for a moment. The rabbit mimicked him, then it put one of it's little front paws on his leg. At first Daniel didn't know what the little creature wanted, but after watching it paw at his white jeans for a minute, the pieces clicked together.

"Do you want more lettuce?" He asked, plucking a handful of the greens from his bowl and carefully holding it in front of the rabbit. The little animal sniffed the offering, then it jumped forward a little bit and munched on the crunchy food. A small smile formed on Daniel's face as he watched the rabbit eat the food from his hand. "I guess that was what you wanted." The rabbit finished the lettuce quite quickly and bumped it's head against the blonde man's leg. He brought a hand down and gently rubbed the small animal's head. It leaned into the touch without hesitation. Daniel took in the rabbit's appearance. It was really clean, or as clean as a wild rabbit could be, however, it's back right leg had a bit of dried blood stuck to the fur.

Daniel slowly scooped up the little bunny, making sure not to startle it, and looked over it's leg. He could make out some deep teeth markings on the limb, obviously from some type of large animal. Daniel sympathized immediately with the little creature. Further examination, told Daniel that the bunny was a male. How he had managed to escape whatever had bitten him, the blonde didn't know, but one thing was obvious, the little guy needed help. Daniel looked around for a moment, making sure no one had come out of the mess hall, before standing up and walking off to the counselor's quarters, bunny and bowl of half eaten salad in hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Time Skip)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two days had gone by since Daniel had found the little rabbit, or more like it found him, and it had become very evident that the little guy wasn't leaving anytime soon. The blonde counselor had brought the injured animal back to his room, washed and dressed his wound and fed it. In the short time the rabbit had been with Daniel, it seemed to have become attached to him and the man couldn't bring himself to make him leave. Thus, the little rabbit was now living in his room. He had even given him a name. It was Mocha. It was a funny story actually, on the second day of having the rabbit, Daniel had taken the little guy into the common area in the counselor's quarters so he could get him some food.

He took his eyes off the bunny for a few seconds to look through the cabinets, when he heard rustling. He looked over in the direction of the rabbit and stared in surprise. The little animal had jumped onto one of the counters and was going through the various packs of coffee sitting on the table. Daniel made his way over the little troublemaker. "What are you doing?" He asked, staring down at the small bunny. The bunny looked up when he was addressed, a packet of mocha hanging from his mouth. Daniel picked up the bunny and plucked the packet from him. "You, good sir, are not allowed to have coffee. You're too hyper as it is!" He paused, reading the packet.

"Although it is a little funny that you picked out David's favorite kind of coffee. He _really_ likes his mocha." The bunny's ears perked up, making Daniel look down at him. "Hm? Do you like that word? Mocha?" The bunny nuzzled into his arm, seemingly confirming the question. "Mocha… It fits you, you hyper little furball." The bunny only looked at him, tilting his head to the side. "Mocha it is then." Daniel smiled, placing the packet down and returning to his search for food.

Daniel had been keeping Mocha in his room, one, because he didn't want to lose him if he ran off and two, he didn't want everyone making fun of him for keeping the bunny. However, Daniel was not a very good at coming up with lies and David was beginning to become worried about him. David knew that Daniel was an introverted man, he liked his alone time, but he did make it a point to hang out with him. But for the past few days he had been avoiding doing anything with him, he would go straight to his room and stay in there for the rest of the day. It was making him feel worried. Had he done something wrong? Did he make him upset? Why was he avoiding him!?

By the third day of this treatment, David had finally had enough. After the day's activities were over and the campers were all in their tents, David marched straight to Daniel's room and knocked on the door. "Daniel? Are you in there? I need to talk to you about something!" No answer. David frowned and knocked on the door again, louder this time. "Daniel! Open the door, please! We need to talk!" Still not answer. David didn't even knock again, he just threw the door open. "Daniel, please, stop ignoring me! I need to ta-!" David froze, staring down at the scene before him. Daniel sat on the ground, looking like a deer in the headlights and holding a half eaten carrot. Next to him was a little white and brown bunny, staring up at David with a blank face.

Silence reigned across the room for a moment, both men stared at each other. Finally, Daniel broke the silence. "D-David, I-I can ex-explain!" He stammered, face flushing in embarrassment. David didn't say anything, he simply ran forward and scooped Mocha up into his arms. "You never told me you had a bunny, Daniel!" The animal lover exclaimed, cuddling the small rabbit close to his chest and grinning wide. Daniel looked away sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was worried someone would make fun of me." He muttered. David stared at him, tilting his head in confusion. Mocha mimicked him, tilting his head as well. "Why on earth would anyone make fun of you for taking care of this adorable little bunny?"

Daniel just rolled his eyes. "Because I'm _me._ The campers would surely make fun of me if they knew I have a rabbit." He responded. "No, they wouldn't! If I didn't make fun of you, then they won't make fun of you!" The blonde shook his head and chuckled. "Whatever you say, David." David joined the other man on the floor. "What's it's name?" He asked, rubbing Mocha's back softly. "His name is Mocha." Daniel responded, earning an amused look from David. "Mocha? Really?" The blonde's face flushed a dull red. "Hey, I'm not good at naming things, okay!" David laughed, making Daniel's heart melt. _Goddamn,_ his laugh was fucking adorable! "I think it's cute." The brunette beamed, looking down at Mocha, smiling, his forest green eyes sparkling.

 _Ow._ Was David trying to kill him with his cuteness today? "He's an adorable wittle bun-bun!" David sang, holding Mocha in front of his face and nuzzling his nose. Yep, he was trying to kill him, Daniel was going to die from David's cuteness. The rest of the day was spent with the two counselors chatting quietly while playing with little Mocha. Daniel was a little glad David had found out about Mocha. It gave him a good opportunity to see the man be absolutely adorable with a baby animal and an opportunity to internally swoon over the man's adorable actions. Funny how a small act could lead to Daniel being just a little bit happier.


	7. The Door

Daniel stood in his bedroom doorway at age four, giggling and looking down the hallway of his large house. His eyes were locked on a familiar navy blue door, the sound of two voices could be heard whispering from down the short, yellow hallway. The young blonde could make out his name, but that was about it. He giggled again, they were talking about him! After a few more minutes, the talking stopped and the blue door opened. Two figures exited the room, a man and a woman. Immediately, their eyes landed on the little head peeking around his doorway and they both smiled happily at him. Both adults approached the little boy, causing him to duck inside his room, standing up against the wall just next to the door. He listened to the two pairs of footsteps coming down the hallway, a grin spread across his face when they stopped just outside of his door. He stood against the wall for a few seconds, trying to stifle his little giggles, then he poked his head around the doorway again, only to come face to face with his smiling mother.

"Hello Danny." She greeted, causing Daniel to smile wider. "Hi Mommy!" The little blonde beamed at his mother, waving one of his little hands excitedly at her. She chuckled and scooped him up into her arms, causing him to burst into laughter. Daniel's mother was a beautiful young woman. She was thin for her age, seeing as she was nearing her thirties. She wore a long baby blue dress, drawing attention to her thin body. She had long braided golden blonde hair, her family had a history of having blonde hair. Daniel had continued this line, being born with a head of blonde hair, albeit much lighter in color. Her brown eyes looked up at her husband. "Look Daddy, I found our little eavesdropper!" Daniel's father laughed at his wife, smirking down at his son. "Hm, it looks like you did, my dear." He poked his son's cheek, grinning down at him. Daniel giggled, swatting his father's hand away. "Nuu! Nu pokes, Daddy!" Daniel's father chuckled softly. "Okay little man, no pokes."

Daniel's father was a very tall man. His skin was naturally pale, making him almost look like a ghost. His eye's were a shining blue and his fluffy hair was a shade of dirty blonde. Daniel's mother looked down at him and smiled wide. "Danny, we've got a surprise for you!" The little blonde boy looked up, tilting his head. "Surprise?" He asked. "Yes, a surprise!" Daniel's father confirmed with a smile. "Me and your Daddy saved up some money and we decided," She paused, watching her child stare at her in anticipation. "We're going to go see a musical performance in the theater!" Daniel's little blue eyes sparkled. "Fiddle?" His mother smiled softly. "Yes Danny, there might be a fiddle player there." Daniel threw his hands into the air. "Fiddle!" He cheered, making both his parents laughed. "That's my little musician!" His father ruffled his blonde hair lovingly. Daniel swatted his hands away, again. "Nu, dun touch my hair!" The little blonde puffed his cheeks out, pouting.

 _They truly were a happy little family._

Daniel stood in his bedroom doorway at age six, he was completely silent while looking down the hallway of his large house. His bright blue eyes were locked on the once navy blue door that was now painted a bleak white. It almost blended in with the pasty white walls of the house. The house was dead silent, no whispering, no talking, nothing. His home had been painted head to toe with white paint, as though all the colors had been drained from the place, leaving everything ghostly white and dull. The old furniture had been sold and replaced with white replicas. Even Daniel's clothes had been replaced with only white outfits, his old colorful one's having been thrown away. The young blonde had changed into his white polo shirt, jeans and shoes. It was his best outfit. Minutes passed without a noise, then the white door opened. Two figures walked out, male and female, one in a white dress and one a full white outfit. They approached the young boy, looks disinterest clear on their faces.

When they neared the doorway, Daniel stepped into the hallway, looking up at the two adults. They both stopped, looking over the small child. Daniel's mother frowned down at him. "Are you ready to leave, Daniel?" He asked, her voice lacking any emotion. He nodded his head. "Yes, Mommy." His parents exchanged looks, then they began to walk away. "Come along, then." Daniel obeyed his mother's command, following closely behind them. He reached out and grabbed his mother's hand, only to have her yank it out of his grip and glare down at him. Daniel frowned at his mother, but he did nothing else, he didn't want to anger her or his father, they hurt him when they were upset with him, so he simply walked behind her. He kept himself silent as they walked to the car. It was time to go to another meeting at the old church, it was time to hear about Zeemoog again. He really missed the love his parents once had for him. He didn't know what made them change.

 _But he would do anything to make them care about him again._

Daniel stood in his bedroom doorway at age eighteen, his white backpack still hanging from his back. His bright blue eyes stared at the white door down the hallway of his large house. His face as blank and unemotional. Quiet talking could be heard from the other side of the door, so soft that it was barely audible. Daniel's eyes trailed from the door to the knife sitting on one of the nearby tables. It was clean, shiny, obviously about to be used. ' _Hm, Mom and Dad must have a job to do tonight.'_ He thought, wondering what they had planned for tonight. ' _It must be a sacrifice to Zemoog.'_ He shrugged, walking into his room, pulling off his backpack and hanging it on his doorknob. He didn't have time to think about his parents, he had homework to do. Being a senior wasn't easy. He didn't want to go to college, yet all his teachers wouldn't get off his back about the subject. College was pointless, the cult was all that mattered. It made him happy, it made his parents happy, so why go to a place where he had to stop working and focus on something he didn't care about.

The sound of the white door opening caught his attention. Daniel looked from his notebook and out his open door. His mother stopped at his door, looking over at him with a blank expression. "Your father and I are going out, Daniel." The blonde teenager nodded his head and smiled. "Okay Mom, make sure to have fun." She nodded back, knowing what he was hinting at. Then she turned and left, the knife that was on the table was grasped firmly in her hand. It was obvious what his parents were going to do and Daniel wished he could've joined them, but he had to do his homework.

 _Still, it had been a while since he last helped someone ascend._

Daniel stood in the hallway at age twenty-two. His bright blue eyes locked on a familiar faded white door. The house was completely silent, no voices, no talking, no footsteps, _nothing._ The walls of the once bright and colorful house were now dull and faded. The blonde stood before the old door that he had stared at many times over the course his life. It was locked, the memories it held, trapped behind the chipped white wood. Daniel didn't speak, he only stared. Memories, good and bad, began to service. All the happy times he had as a child, all the times he ran into the room when he had a nightmare, all the games he play'd, they all came back to him. The two people that used to take residence behind that door… were gone. They were _gone._ Daniel felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes. The two people that he actually cared for… were _gone._ The tears spilled from his eyes and he began to shake. His mom and dad were dead. _They died!_ The cult had contacted him when the bodies were found. They had taken their own lives in order to ascend, they wanted to join their brethren in their new land of peace and happiness.

 _They left him._ Daniel didn't hold back anymore. He began to cry, his body shaking violently as all his repressed emotions hit him at once, overwhelming him. "Mom! -Sob- Dad!" He cried out, wanted to only hear their voices once more. Happy memories clouded his mind. His mother's soft, sweet voice, his father's constant praising, all of it, gone. Daniel fell to the ground in front of the white door. "P-Please, come back! I don't want to be alone!" Daniel pounded his fists on the door. "Why did you leave me!? _Why!? Why!? Why!?"_ He wailed, large tears rolling down his face. This was the first time Daniel had cried since he joined the cult. Actually, he couldn't remember the last time he cried. "I-I wanted you to love me again." The blonde didn't know how long he had sat crying in front of that door, but by the time he had finished, he had only one goal in mind. One goal that would be the driving force in his life for the next two years. "I made it my goal to make you both love me again… it was my personal challenge… a challenge that I never got to beat…" He squeezed his eyes shut tight. "Now, you've given me a new challenge… one that I promise you, I will beat…" He growled, like that of a dog about to protect his owner from danger. "I will continue where you both left off…"

" _I will make a name for myself in your honor..."_

Daniel stood in the middle of Camp Campbell at age twenty-four. His eyes wide at the question Harrison had offhandedly asked. "What are your parents like, Daniel?" It was an innocent little question, one that most people would be able to answer without a problem, but the question left Daniel frozen. The blonde hadn't answered, he merely stared at the young boy as his mind swam with memories of his horrid life. Harrison was staring back at him in worry. Daniel hadn't said a word in over a minute. Finally, Daniel snapped out of his fear-ridden daze. "I-I… I'll tell you another time, kid." He said weakly. He didn't wait for the child to answer because he excused himself and ran off. He didn't want the boy to know about what happened to him, it would scare him, make him upset. He didn't need that. As Daniel walked to the counselor's quarters, he felt his eyes sting as tears formed.

" _I miss you..."_


	8. Confessions from a drunk man

This was not a good week for Daniel. Nothing _horrible_ had happened per say, but nothing particularly _good_ happened either. Just the usual children being completely chaotic little demons and making sure none of the councilors had a moment of rest. You know, normal Camp Campbell stuff. Finally, the week had reached Saturday, aka free day. Not a moment too late, because Daniel really, _really_ needed this day off. The campers constant antics had been very grating on his nerves and he was pretty sure that if he didn't get some time to calm down, he would explode. So he was grateful for a day to sleep in, or at least sleep as well as he could seeing as his track record for sleeping was still all over the place. The blonde planned to stay in his room the whole day, reading, playing with Mocha, anything to him inside his room for some much needed alone time. Unfortunately for Daniel, his nerves and mind decided today was a good day to fuck with him. No matter what he did, the blonde just couldn't relax. Not even playing with his beloved rabbit helped calm his raising nerves.

This wasn't the first time this had happened. Many times while Daniel was in the cult of Zeemoog, he would have these random nervous fits, they came from nowhere and there were no warning signs that they would happen. But he became quite worried when they would happen. The cult didn't allow negative emotions and the process for getting them cleansed was... _not a fun experience._ Daniel shivered, not wanted to remember the horrific things done to him in that time. But that did remind him of something else, sometimes, when Daniel didn't wish to go through the cleansing process, he would go to a nearby bar or a store and get some alcohol. Being intoxicated drained him of his negative feelings and made him forget about his nerves, yeah he would have a hangover the next day, but that was a small price to save himself from a lot of pain. That's what led him to where he was now, standing in front of David's door late in the afternoon, shifting nervously and thinking over his options.

Daniel needed to go to the bar, it wasn't an option, it was a requirement. He needed to calm his nerves somehow! The only problem and this was a big problem, was that in order to go to said bar, he needed to go into town. A town full of people. People that knew him. People that knew what he did. People that probably despise him with a passion and probably wanted him to stay in jail. This did nothing to calm his nerves, he could practically feel his blood pressure spike. The other major problem was how he acted when he was drunk. At the bars he frequented when in the cult, he had been told stories of him being a um… _massive flirt_ when drunk, or on other occasions, he would act like a clueless child. The fact that he was required to be taken to town and watched over by David, didn't really help this situation. It made this worse! He didn't want to embarrass himself, or worse, start flirting with David. Daniel's pale face flushed a dull red at the thought. He had a huge crush on the brunette, one that he really didn't want the other man knowing about. It would ruin their friendship. Besides, it's not like David actually liked him back anyway. He wondered if he could blame anything he did on the alcohol.

Daniel didn't have much time to think about it, because the door in front of him opened, causing him to jump in surprise. David stood in the doorway, a look of surprise clear on his face. It went away quickly, being replaced with a familiar heartwarming smile. "Hello there, Daniel! I didn't expect to see you out this late in the afternoon! Did you need something?" Daniel recovered for being startled and he frowned, looking at the ground and trying to think things over as to not sound like an idiot. "Yeah, uh… I was going to ask you for a favor." David tilted his head. "Oh? What did you need?" Daniel didn't respond for a second, still thinking over what he was going to say, before sighing. Might as well come out and say it. "I was wondering if you could take me to the town bar. I… I haven't been feeling so great, I really want to get a drink and try to relax." David blinked, frowning slightly. "Are you sure, Daniel? There are other ways to relax besides drinking." The blonde nodded his head quickly, giving David a desperate look.

"I know and I've tried other things, but nothing's working! Please David, I just need to get my mind off things. I don't drink often, this is just something that happens to me on occasions. I just… _really_ need a drink." The brunette thought for a moment. David wouldn't deny that he didn't drink, there were many reasons why, but the main one being that he didn't want to become addicted. Daniel looked so desperate and tense, he just couldn't say no. "Okay, I'll take you, but this better not become a regular thing! I don't want you becoming an alcohol addict!" The man exclaimed, giving Daniel a fake scolding look. The blonde smirked, shaking his head. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that David. Let me go get my wallet so we can go." David nodded, waving him off and telling him to meet him in his car.

The drive to town was oddly calming, the two men made idle small talk about nothing in particular. It helped Daniel forget about his anxiety about going into town for the first time since he had been released from jail, but once they actually entered, the anxiety reared it's head right back in. "Everything'll be okay, Daniel! We're just going to the bar, I'm sure there won't be that many people there since it's so late!" Daniel rolled his eyes. It was obvious that David had never been to a bar on game nights, still, the blonde appreciated the comfort. "Yeah, I hope so." He muttered, looking out the window at the practically vacant streets. The two arrived at the bar minutes later. They both got out and entered the building. Daniel gulped, looking around. A few people were seated at different booths, drinking, talking and having fun. David guided the blonde over to the counter, motioning for him to take a seat. He did, watching as the nature lover sat next to him and waved the bartender over. "Hello gentlemen, what can I get you tonight?"

David hummed softly, thinking. "I'll take one Shirley Temple, please!" The bartender nodded, then he looked over at Daniel. "And you, sir?" Without missing a beat, the blonde replied; "A Mai Tai." Another nod. "Imma need to see your I.D, sir." Daniel pulled out his wallet and handed his I.D to the man. He looked it over, nodding again, then he handed it back to him. "Everything checks out, I'll bring your drinks to you in a minute." With that, he walked off and the two councilors were left to themselves. David hummed again, looking over to Daniel. "I didn't expect you to order a fruity drink." He shrugged in response, resting his arms on the counter. "The fruity drinks taste better to me, not as bitter as the others." David nodded, glancing around the bar with a smile on his face. The bartender returned with the two's drinks. Daniel wasted no time in taking a long sip of his Mai Tai, marveling in the fruity taste. The two spent the next two hours at the bar, talking and laughing. In the course of those two hours, Daniel had ordered three more drinks and by the end of drinking all of them, he was wasted.

By that time, David felt the need to intervene, paying the bartender and guiding Daniel out of the bar and into the car. The blonde giggled like a child the whole way there. The ride back to the camp was funny to David. Daniel was like a child. He would look over at David and start giggling and when he would ask what was so funny, Daniel would just reply with; "You! Yer funny!" David simply shook his head, smiling the whole way back to the camp. Once there, David parked the car and helped Daniel get back to his room. Right before entering, like the flip of a coin, Daniel's whole mood changed. While David was unlocking the door to Daniel's room, he came up behind him and hugged him. The brunette was surprised, Daniel was not one to show affection out in the open like that. Then the blonde nuzzled the back of his head, making David jump. When he finally got the door unlocked, Daniel let go of him and walked inside, leaving the brunette standing in the door.

"Daniel, are you... doing alright?" David asked, looking concerned as the blonde male stumbled around his room, looking like he would fall over at any given moment. Daniel turned around when he was addressed and just stared at David with squinted eyes for about a minute, making the other man a bit more worried, then he grinned wide at him like a derp, his eyes growing wide and sparkly. Like David was some sort of prize he had always wanted. "I'm _fiiiiinnnnnneeee!_ How'er you, hot stuff?" He asked, slurring his words and grinning slyly. "W-what?" David squeaked, before shaking his head and focusing on the drunken blonde male, a frown clear on his face. "No- it's pretty clear that you're not yourself, Daniel. Do you want to sit down, would you like a glass of water?" Daniel giggled lightly, not really seeming to understand David's questions due to the alcohol in his system clouding his thought process. "W-Whatcha mean I'm not myself? I'm just fine!" He slurred, taking a step towards the other male and staring at him blankly, eyes half-lidded. "Damnit yer fuckin' cute…"

David was completely flustered and extremely confused by the other man's behavior. He had never seen Daniel act like this before! "I-I just-you're not-" He managed weakly, before trying to compose himself. "I..um.. thank you, Daniel, but um.. you seem… a lot more affectionate than usual? I think the alcohol is getting to you." The smell radiating off the other man was enough to tip that off, however, Daniel was acting much different then he was in the car. He wasn't acting childish, he was acting like a flirt. Something was definitely off here. Daniel tilted his head innocently, smiling with wide eyes. "What's wrong with bein' affectionate?" Then he started giggling like a little child. "Are you joking or something, cutie?" He asked, grinning wide. "I… I don't know, I just…" David shrugged. "You aren't usually this… straightforward? I um…" He chuckled nervously, his face flushing a light pink color. "Golly, this is a lot to take in." Daniel didn't respond of a few seconds, choosing to stare dumbly at David, as though he just materialized in front of him. Then he walked a bit closer. "Guess I just wanna get something off my chest, Davey~" He stated, his voice dipping low and becoming suggestive.

David paused, still extremely nervous with the way that Daniel was acting. "And.. what would that be?" He asked, feeling his ears and neck flush pink at the tone Daniel held. Gosh, was it getting hot in here? And why was Daniel so close all of a sudden? David felt himself have a response similar to fear, his heart was racing, his blood was rushing, namely to his face, as it was now beet red, and he wondered briefly if Daniel was going to hurt him. No. He wouldn't do that. Daniel had changed, he was a good person now! But, David had heard stories of drunk people doing… bad things. Daniel didn't take notice of the rising fear in the other man, the alcohol in his system making him practically blind to any sort of logic or perception. Soon he was inches away from the brunette, grinning with a dark glint in his eye. " _This~"_ Without warning the other male, Daniel grabbed him by his arms and pulled him closer to him, smashing his lips firmly onto David's with no hesitation.

"Daniel wha- _MMph!"_ David was surprised out of his fear when he felt Daniel's lips collide with his own. There was a split second of confusion before he realized what was going on, and that he liked it. "Mmh," He assented, closing his eyes, leaning into the kiss and placing his arms around Daniel to steady himself. Daniel kept the kiss going for about a minute before the need of oxygen nagged at the back of his intoxicated mind. He pulled back, a sly and very drunken smirk plastered across his crimson flushed face. " _Fuck…"_ He breathed. "I've wanted to do that for a loooong time." He muttered, a small drunken chuckle leaving his mouth. "Lang- I.. um.. me too," Managed David, mind still in complete disarray from what had just happened. "B-But, Daniel what… what prompted this?" He was extremely confused, to say the least, Daniel was never a forward person. He liked to keep things to himself. This was very out of character for him. "Dunno," Daniel muttered dumbly, staring off into space, then he giggled again. "guess I just wanted to finally let you know how I feel. I've been keepin' this to myself for a while now." He grinned at David. "Plus you're freakin' adorable~" He purred, slightly nuzzling the other man's face.

David chuckled nervously. While he was genuinely thrilled at Daniel's change of mood, he was able to recognize the familiar taste of alcohol when he had kissed him, making him remember the important part of this situation and he made sure not to let things get any more physical. "Daniel," He said, "I appreciate this, but you're… _really_ drunk. You should have some water." Daniel blinked slowly, letting David's words slowly sink in, then he pouted, jutting out his bottom lip. "Awww, fiiinnee." He groaned like a child being forced to go to bed by their parent, releasing the other man and stepping back a bit. "If it'll make ya happy." David nodded. "It would. You go sit on your bed, I'll go get you some water, okay?" Daniel nodded, stumbling over to his bed and plopping down. David left the room for a few minutes, returning later with water and a blanket, then hand the water to him. He wrapped the blonde in the light blanket and stepped back to look at his own handiwork. Once he deemed it completely okay he nodded, content, and sat next to the man.

Daniel smiled slightly, nuzzling into the blanket and taking a sip of the water. He then grinned over at David. "You're sweet, you know that?" He said, the water not making him sober, but mellowing him out slightly. David blushed happily in response, smiling softly. "You are too, Daniel. I just hope you don't have too much of a headache after all of this." David was already mentally running through a checklist of things to make Daniel's potential hangover less-awful on the poor man. "I've been through this before," Daniel muttered, sipping at the water again and staring into space again. "Probably won't be thaaat bad." That was true, this wasn't his first rodeo with hangovers. David nodded, seeming to heavily consider his actions before deciding to kiss the man's hair. "You should try to get some sleep, then. I'll be here making sure that no one takes advantage of you while you're drunk." Daniel's face lit up from the little kiss, grinning like a dork at the brunette. Placing the glass of water on his bedside table, the blonde nuzzled his head gently into David's shoulder and sighing. "Whatever you say, boss~" He purred softly, closing his eyes.

David placed an arm around Daniel, holding him close and smiling warmly. Honestly, this was something that he could get used to, so long as Daniel was still alright with the whole ordeal when he was sober. "Sleep well, Daniel." He whispered softly, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "Nighty-night, David~" With that, Daniel promptly passed out, making David laugh quietly. He moved the other man carefully, laying him down on his bed. He smiled down at him and walked over to one of the chairs in the room. He kept his promise, he stayed in the room until he felt tired enough to head to his own room.

Daniel groaned the moment he woke up the next morning. His body felt heavy and his head hurt, it hurt bad. ' _What the fuck happened?'_ He wondered, his mind going completely blank. Yeah, there was no way he was getting out of bed today. Before Daniel had a chance to think, the door to his bedroom opened and in walked a familiar, tree-loving brunette. "Good morning, Daniel! How're you doing?" The man in question groaned loudly, shoving his face in his pillow. "My head _huuuurrrrts!_ What the heck happened to me?" Was his muffled reply. David carefully sat down a ginger ale and a jar of pickle juice on Daniel's bedside table, as well as some headache pain relief. "We went to the bar, remember? You really wanted to drink and you ended up getting a little drunk. Not to worry, I brought some stuff to help with your hangover!" He gestured to the table. "You don't need to have the pickle juice if you don't want it, I just heard somewhere that it can help with the headaches."

"At this point, I'll take anyth- wait… _Drunk?"_ Fear crossed the blonde's face for a moment, if he didn't remember what happened, then that was a _bad_ sign. Whenever he got drunk enough that he didn't know what happened, he normally did something he would regret. He wondered momentarily if the blacked out, in a way he hoped so. "I didn't hurt anyone did I?" He asked, voice full of worry. "Oh, Daniel! You have nothing to be worried about, you didn't do anything harmful while you were drunk. Honestly, you were just adorable!" Daniel's face flushed slightly at being called adorable, but he still looked a little bit fearful. Another worrying thought crossed his mind. "So… I didn't do anything? Or uh… Say anything?" He questioned, slowly sitting up. "You did and said a few things, Daniel, but they weren't harmful. It's… kinda embarrassing, knowing that you don't remember, to be honest. Umm…" David was suddenly unsure if the events from the night prior had been Daniel's genuine affection for him or if it had just been a side-effect of the man having been drunk. He became fearful as well, looking away from the man.

"W-what did I do?" Daniel was straight up scared now, praying to every god that he knew that this was not going where he thought it was going. "I have a bad track record of doing stupid things when I'm drunk." _Please say he didn't tell him._ David looked worried, fiddling with his shirt and biting his bottom lip. "Um.. well, you told me that you thought I was cute, and we um… kissed?" David squeaked out the last part, looking up to Daniel for some sort of reassurance. The fear on the other man's face did nothing to help him. "I'm sorry, Daniel! I knew that you were drunk, I should have stopped you but I mean… I just…" He teared up a bit, blushing and looking generally distraught over what happened. "O-oh god…" The world just shattered. His worst fear had just come to true. David knew how he felt about him. Daniel felt tears form in his eyes as David's words sunk in, making him shake in panic. "I-it's not your fault… I shouldn't have let this happen. I'm sorry." Daniel averted his eyes, preparing himself to be rejected, it wouldn't be the first time it happened. Rejection from his parents, rejection from his peers, this would just be another person to add to the long list of people that rejected him over the years. Even if this one hurt more than most, he wouldn't blame him. "I understand that you don't like me…" A small sob left the disgruntled male as he hugged himself, trying to make himself as small as possible.

"What? Dan-No, that's not what I mean at all!" David clasped his hands together, squeezing them nervously. "I-I liked it… a lot, and I like you… a lot. But it wasn't right that it happened while you were drunk, that's not right." David hung his head slightly, looking a bit ashamed. Daniel blinked in surprise, flicking his eyes back to meet David's. "Wait… You liked it and… you like me?" The blonde felt as though those words shouldn't go together, then he looked down, sadness written across his face. "B-but I… I-I'm… No one is supposed to like me, people are supposed to hate me…" In his mind, happiness and Daniel were not supposed to go together, he was supposed to be sad and lonely. He was supposed to be rejected and hated. David couldn't help it, he couldn't stand seeing Daniel look so broken and hurt. Nor could he stand hearing him talk badly about himself. He pulled the man into an embrace. "Daniel, why would I hate you?" He asked, pulling back and staring into his bright blue eyes. "You've done nothing but be a really great person since the day you came back to Camp Campbell, you're trying to change, I can see it! A-and… I mean… you're nothing short of adorable!" David felt a surge of confidence, offering a kind smile.

Daniel tensed up slightly, not expecting the sudden affection, but soon he gave in to the comfort. He blushed a bit at being called adorable and looked tearfully into David's eyes. "I-I…" The blonde sniffled, looking shocked and not really knowing how to respond. "T-Thank you, David." David nodded, smiling sweetly at the blonde man. "It really isn't a problem… honestly, I feel lucky! Now let's see about taking care of that hangover of yours…" Daniel nodded slowly, having forgotten about his hangover. He felt the pain service, making him wince. "Yeah, let's do that." He mumbled, watching David grab the ginger ale and open it. "Here, drink some of this." He said, gently placing the bottle in the blonde's hands. Daniel obeyed, taking a drink from the bottle. His head lightened a bit, the pain was still there, but it had lessened a bit. David handed him one of the headache pain relief pills. "This'll help too, it's fast acting, so it should take effect within an hour or so." Daniel nodded mutely, popping the pill into his mouth and washing it down with the ginger ale.

A few seconds of silence passed between the two. Daniel's thoughts swarmed in his head, making him sniffle. This couldn't be real, it just couldn't be! David shouldn't like him, he should hate him, he should've rejected him! But here he was, being kind to him and taking care of him. Tears formed in his eyes as the thoughts became more and more negative. He wasn't supposed to be happy. He was supposed to be sad and lonely. No one should love him, he didn't deserve love! He was a horrible, terrible human being! People should be afraid of him, hate him, want him gone! A sob fell from his mouth and he began to shake. He didn't deserve David, his affection or his kindness. David took notice of Daniel's distress and taking the ginger ale from his hands, sitting it down and quickly kneeling down in front of him. "Daniel? Daniel! What's wrong?" Large tears fell down the blonde's cheeks and another sob left his mouth. "I-I do-n't deserve this..." His voice shook with hurt and sorrow, making David worry. "I-I sh-shouldn't be l-love by anyone, I sh-should be hated!"

"Daniel…" David felt tears well up in his own eyes. "I-I'm horrible, I called you a n-nobody! I-I killed people! I-I do-n't deserve your lo-love or kindness! _I should be alone!"_ David couldn't take it anymore. " _Daniel, stop!"_ He shouted, tears trailing down his own face as he stared at the shaking man. He pulled the blonde into his arms, holding him tightly, as though if he let go of him, he would disappear. "Stop saying those horrible things about yourself!" David cried out, taking shaky breaths to try and calm himself down. He was sick of hearing Daniel shit talk himself, he hated seeing him like this! He didn't deserve to be miserable. "You're not who you used to be, Daniel! You've changed, you're a better person! You're fixing what you did! You don't deserve to be alone, you don't deserve to be hated or unloved! You're a human, like me, like Gwen, like everyone in this world! And like everyone else, you need love and care, don't ever think that you don't!" The brunette pulled back, staring intently into Daniel's teary blue eyes. "And I don't ever want to hear you say you don't deserve my kindness or love ever again! I care about you Daniel, don't ever forget that!"

Daniel stared back at David, shock very clearly written on his face. As David's speech sunk in, Daniel's face scrunched up and he threw his arms around the brunette, hugging him tightly and shoving his face into his shoulder. He began to sob uncontrollably. "I-I-I'm sorry! _I'm so sor-ry!_ David rubbed his back gently, whispering soft comforting words to the poor man. "Shh, shh it's okay, Daniel. It's okay. I'm here, I'm here." Minutes passed as the two held each other, Daniel crying out more apologies and David whispering more soft comforts. It seemed like forever before the two had calmed themselves down, pulling apart. David shifted, sitting down on the bed next to Daniel, who was rubbing the eyes with his wrist. "M'sorry for putting you through all this, David. Confessions should be sweet and heartwarming, not… depressing and sad." David smiled softly at him, placing a hand on top of Daniel's. "It's okay, Daniel. What matters is that everything is alright now. I'm going to help you get through your problems."

Daniel stared at David, an unsure look on his face. "Does this mean we're… together?" He asked voice laced with insecurity and worry. David grinned, squeezing Daniel's hand. "Of course! Why do you think I admitted liking you kiss me? It wasn't a lie, I did like it and," He booped Daniel's nose. "I like you!" The blonde stared for a few seconds, then a tiny smile formed on his face. "I'm glad, because I like you too, David." The brunette giggled, making Daniel's heart swell with happiness. They were together. In that moment, the bleak and colorless world that Daniel lived in, filled with color and light. Then his hangover decided to rear its ugly head in, making him hiss. "Maybe we should work on that hangover now." Both of them burst into happy laughter.


	9. Sweet Memories

"You looked very angry as a child, David." The man in question looked over at the other male in his room. He laughed slightly, shaking his head. "Yeah, I wasn't a very happy kid. I hated being at camp for the longest time." Well, that was surprising. Daniel continued to look over the various pictures stapled to David's 'memory board' that he had hanging in his room. In some of the old photos, young David was scowling, arms crossed over his chest similarly to a certain other camper in a blue hoodie, yet in others, David's current optimism was shown in the pictures. It was a jarring shift, one that Daniel couldn't get out of his mind. Hearing David, the happy-go-lucky, nature-loving man say that he used to not like camping, and seeing pictures that supported that claim just… didn't feel right. Daniel had always assumed that David had been born loving nature, growing up as a tree hugger and camping expert who wanted nothing more than to live in the outdoors among the trees and animals. "What changed?" He asked, watching as his brunette partner walked over and stood beside him, looking over the memories he had posted to the board.

David smiled, his forest green eyes clouded with nostalgia and old memories. "Camp Campbell changed me. Coming to this camp helped me come to understand the value of nature and camping." Daniel smirked, rolling his eyes. Only David would be able to learn to love something like camping from a cheap camp like Camp Campbell. His eyes lingered on the photos, it felt like he was almost looking into the past, each picture told its own story. "You looked cute as a child." He stated, turning his head to gauge his lover's reaction. David's face and the tips of his ears flushed a light red and he giggled. "Awww, thank you, Daniel! I'm sure you were cute as a child too!" Daniel felt his own face heat up, he was not expecting that. "Uh… t-thank you." He stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. David looked over at Daniel, frowning slightly and tilting his head in confusion. "Are you okay, Daniel?" The blonde shrugged. "Guess I'm still not used to the whole… affection thing." After years and years of being robbed of his will to be positive without it being fake, forced or, in later cases, directed only at the cult, it was hard to suddenly start showing genuine affection.

Even if it was directed towards someone he loved. While he had become touch-starved over the years due to the lack of love he'd been given over time, he still felt scared that he might mess something up if he asked for or gave affection. David hummed in understanding, nuzzling his head against Daniel's shoulder. "Welp, you're gonna have to get used to it soon, because I've got lots of love to give you!" That was an obvious joke, or at least part of it was. David was a very patient man when it came to Daniel and his issues. He would never force him to do anything unless it was about his health or well being. "I'll try, you little dork." He laughed, pressing a hesitant kiss to the top of the brunette's head. Minutes went by as the two stood in silence, still looking over the pictures on the board. Daniel broke the silence when a question popped into his mind, a question that he'd been meaning to ask for a few days. "Hey, David?" The brunette looked up at him, smiling. "Hm?" Daniel thought for a second, making sure to word this right so that it wouldn't come off as rude or accusatory. "Did you… date anyone, before you started dating me?"

"Well, yeah. I dated Bonquisha before dating you, remember?" Daniel did remember. David was a complete and total mess when Bonquisha broke up with him. The poor man spent days crying and eating ice cream, to the point where Gwen would send him off to his room for some alone time while she and Daniel would watch the campers. He felt terrible for the poor guy. This happened before Daniel grew his crush on David, but he still felt David didn't deserve to dumped over such a stupid reason as not being 'man enough.' "I remember, I meant like, before that, when you were younger." The brunette thought about his years as a teenager, trying to remember his past partners. "I did date two other people before you and Bonquisha. A boy and a girl. They didn't last that long though, maybe a year or so." He admitted. "You don't have any memories either of them?" Daniel questioned, shooting him a quizzical look. "Not really, relationships back then for me was pretty much just going to each other's houses and talking a lot at school. Nothing big." He explained, shrugging.

"What about you?" David looked over at Daniel. "Did you date anyone before me?" Daniel frowned, thinking hard. Then the memories hit him, sending waves of surprisingly positive nostalgia through his body. "Yes… one person, a boy, back when I was in highschool." David became curious, wanting to know a bit more about his boyfriend. "What was he like?" The blonde's heart sped up as more memories continued to flood into him, like a heavily cracked dam that finally broke after years of being poorly mandated, its water rapidly rolling over the grass and dirt. "He was… nice, one of the few people I befriended during my time in highschool. He..." Daniel paused, wondering if he could say this about his ex considering he was now in a relationship. David gave him a kind, reassuring look, as though he knew why Daniel was hesitating and wanted him to know he didn't mind. "He was important to me at that time." David hummed, tilting his head in interest. "How so?" Daniel didn't know how to put how this boy made him feel to words. "I can't say, it's not easy to explain. I could… just tell you about how we got together? Maybe that would help?" David nodded, now full of curiosity about this other person. "Go for it!" He encouraged. "Okay then… this happened back when I was in tenth grade.."  
 _  
Daniel's blue eyes were wide behind his white framed glasses. Today was club day at his school and he was in the music club. The room was bustling with other students chatting, playing their instruments and laughing. Several teens were clustered together in their little friend groups. Across the large classroom stood a group of three students, two of them holding their instruments and all of them were laughing. Daniel's eyes were trained on the tall boy standing directly in the middle. He was one of the piano players. He had fluffy bright ginger hair, a cute freckle dotted face and beautiful brown eyes behind his black-rimmed glasses. His name was Jeremiah and if it wasn't obvious enough, Daniel liked him. It was strange really, Daniel hadn't felt an emotion like this in a long time. It affection and love. In normal terms, he had a crush. He didn't even know he could feel love like this after years of suppressing and ignoring certain emotions because of his parent's demands. The blonde watched silently as Jeremiah played the piano and sang jokingly off-key, making his friends laugh loudly._

 _Daniel bit his bottom lip, tightening his fist around the handle of his fiddle case and trying to calm himself down. Today was the day. The day he would ask Jeremiah out. This crush the blonde had on the ginger had been going on for a long while, starting out small, then growing larger and larger, until it hurt. Daniel was nervous like most sixteen-year-olds would be, but he had a huge reason. He didn't even know if Jeremiah liked boys or not. He hadn't seen the ginger male express any interest in the same sex, but at the same time, he hadn't seen him express interest in the opposite sex either, so that gave him a glint of hope. Well, he didn't have many friends at this school anyway, Jeremiah just happened to be one that he grew close to, he might as well see if he had a chance. What did he have to lose?_

 _Daniel approached the group quietly, taking quick breaths to try and calm himself down, and stopped in front of Jeremiah. The ginger-haired boy noticed him immediately. "Hey, Danny!" He greeted, showing off his perfect, sweet smile. "Uh… hi, Jere." Daniel waved awkwardly, his face heating up a bit at hearing his nickname. "Can I talk to you for a second?" Jeremiah blinked, then nodded, keeping that smile on his freckled face. "Of course, dude!" The two walked a little bit away from the group, standing off to the side, away from prying ears. "Soooo, whatcha need, Danny?" Daniel bit his lip again, thinking over what he wanted to say and how to not sound stupid saying it. "I-I… I really like you, Jeremiah… And I was wondering… If we could maybe…" He shut his eyes tightly, his heart in his throat. "g-go out together sometime?" Daniel felt his face flush fifty shades of red as he waited to be rejected. "Sure, why not?" The young blonde had to do a double take when he heard that. "Wait, really?" He mentally pinched himself, questioning if this was a dream or his imagination taking hold of him._

 _Jeremiah laughed lightly at Daniel's shocked expression. "Uh yeah, really. Danny, you and I have been friends for like, years! You're a nice guy and I would be lying if I denied that I thought you were adorable." Jeremiah smirked, making Daniel's stomach do a flip. H-He really liked him? He waited to try dating him? Oh god, oh god. This was a dream, it had to be! He felt dazed, confused, shocked, this couldn't be real! "Why don't you come over to my house this weekend? We could watch a movie together." Daniel managed to snap himself back into reality, nodding his head and smiling softly. "I would love that."_

Daniel felt his heart speed up again when he finished his story about asking out Jeremiah. "Jeremiah was my first crush and my first boyfriend before you. The memories I have of him are some of the few positive ones that I've had in my life." Daniel explained, looking over at David who was seated next to him on his bed, which they sat on when Daniel started his story. "Heh, I remember having to come up with excuses for why Jeremiah couldn't come over to my house. I didn't know how my parents would react to me going out with someone and I really, really didn't want to find out." He chuckled, thinking back on it, the memories of Jeremiah were actually very funny considering that Daniel was in the same situation just a week ago, with a different boy. David. Maybe this time around it would actually last? He certainly hoped so. "Why's that?" David questioned, a little confused. Daniel tensed slightly, not replying out of fear of what his partner's reaction would be if told him. As much as he wanted to vent, he didn't want to make worry David about him with tales of his past and his parents.

"It's… nothing, I don't want to make you worry." David frowned, seeing through the lie almost immediately. "Daniel, I'm not going to force you to talk about them, but need to know that you don't have to keep these things to yourself. I want to help you. You can talk to me about anything, I won't judge you." There it was. That unending kindness and care that David seemed to always possess. Daniel was grateful for it at times. Still, he hesitated, trying to pick the right words to use. "My parents... My parents were not the best people," He paused, staring into space for a second as the few negative memories that he hadn't repressed resurfaced in his mind, causing him to grimace. "They were actually pretty horrible now that I think about it. I remember them being loving and caring for a short time, around until I was five or so, then they joined the Cult of Zeemoog and just… changed." That was a huge understatement, his parents became vastly different people after joining that cult. "They barely interacted with me, only showing me affection when I showed interest in the cult or did exactly as they instructed. even then, it was just a pat on the head or a small praise, nothing more, nothing less."

The next few memories hurt to think about and Daniel had to take a few breaths to keep himself calm. "If I were to ever speak out against their orders or the actions of the cult, they would… hurt me." He took another shaky breath, clenching his hands into fists. David rubbed the other man's back, lacing his hand with Daniel and squeezing it gently. "Take your time, Daniel. Don't force it out." He said softly, voice filled with comfort and warmth. Daniel squeezed David's hand back, taking a few more deep breaths before continuing. "It started small at first, a slap from my mother, a shove from my father, but it slowly worsened over time. They would hit me, beat me, sometimes leaving scratches and bruises. It got so bad that I would avoid my parents when I came home from school. I would do anything they said out of fear of getting beaten. I was so young that I didn't understand how wrong that was. In my mind, I had done something wrong and was getting punished for it. Even when we learned about abuse at school, I still didn't connect the dots because they convinced me that I was bad and needed to be punished. I wanted to gain their love back so badly that I would do anything they said…"  
 _  
_" _Mommy? Daddy?" Seven-year-old Daniel called out down the hallway, walking down the long stairs of his bleak home and glancing around. It was late in the afternoon, around seven or so, when the young boy decided to leave his room. He had taken notice of his parents being very, very quiet since they brought their guest to the house. This happened every few weeks, his parents would bring home a guest from work or town and Daniel would usually go upstairs to his room. Mostly because when the adults would start talking, everything would become boring very fast, too many big words that hurt his head. His parents never seemed to mind though, so everything a guest was brought home, he would go read in his room. But today, he was actually a little curious about what his parents were actually doing and where the guests ended up going because they always ended up somehow leaving the house without making a sound. He peeked his head into the living room once he reached the bottom of the stairs. His parents and the guest, an older man, stood around a table, holding cups in their hands and talking idly. His mother noticed him in the doorway and, to his surprise, she smiled at him._

" _Daniel, what are you doing in the doorway sweetie? Come inside!" Her voice was full of kindness and love. It was jarring to the little blonde, he was so used to his parents giving him the cold shoulder and hurting him that hearing his mother sound so kind and gentle was startling. Nevertheless, Daniel slowly entered the room, standing next to his mother and staring up at the guest. "This is our son, Daniel." His father explained, patting him on the head. "Daniel, this is Evan, he's one of my co-workers. Say hello." The young blonde stared up at Evan, a brunette male who looked to be around the same age as his father, maybe a bit younger. Evan smiled down at him. "Hello, sir." Daniel greeted, making Evan chuckle. "Hiya kiddo, nice to meet ya! You're Ma and Pa have told me a lot about you." Now that was surprising, his parents never talked about him at all, or at least, not in a positive light. "We were just about to drink some punch, Daniel. Would you like some?" His mother asked. Daniel nodded immediately._

 _His father handed him a cup full of red liquid, which he assumed to be cherry punch. His mother grinned, looking to her husband, then to Evan. "Let's drink!" With that, the four took sips from their cups. Daniel hummed, the punch was delicious! He was about to take another sip from the cup when his eyes shot up at the sound of loud coughing. Evan lurched forward, clutching his neck and coughing violently, some of the red punch falling from his mouth and rolling down his chin. Daniel took a step back, staring in shock as Evan fell to his knees, then to his stomach, his coughing stopping soon after that, his body twitching. Daniel blinked, staring at the body in front of him, then he looked up at his parents in confusion. "M-Mommy? Daddy? What just happened?" His mother smiled, crouching down and holding her son close. "Do you remember the lectures on ascension that we listened to at the church, Sweetie?" Daniel nodded, he did remember, however, he didn't really understand everything that was being said, the pastor used too many big words._

" _We helped Evan ascend, Daniel. He's no longer in pain or full of negative emotions. He is at peace." She explained, her tone soft and sweet, like silk ribbons or candy. There was a hint of joy in her voice as well, like she had done something that pleased her. "Perhaps one day you will help others to ascend as we have helped Evan today." His father chimed in, voice full of pride as he ruffled his son's blond hair, like he used to years ago. Daniel thought for a moment about his father's words. Would this make them happy? Would it make them love him again? Ascension didn't sound like a bad thing if it helped people be at peace, maybe he could help in the future, If it would make his parents happy. He wanted them to be happy. He wanted them to love him again._

" _Okay, Daddy."_

"I became so obsessed with trying to regain their love that I blurred the lines between right and wrong, good and bad, all of it became unimportant. I did everything they said, I killed, I went to the church every time they had a meeting, I buried myself in the cult. Pretty soon, I had lost all interest in anything else in my life, the only thing that mattered was my loyalty to the cult. I even started forgetting about my parents. I started liking to kill, to help people ascend in the name of Zeemoog…" Daniel took a sharp breath, the last memory hurt the most. "Then… I was informed one day by one of the followers that my mother and father had… taken their lives. They wanted to ascent, to be with their brethren in peace, free of all negative emotions and pain. That was the only time I've ever cried while in the cult. Negative emotions were not permitted." Tears formed in his blue eyes as he continued. "I know I shouldn't have grieved over their deaths. I should've been happy that they were finally gone! But I was too messed up, I still loved them. I vowed that day to make a name for myself in their honor… I was so stupid."

"Daniel, please look at me." He complied, looking at David and sniffling. David placed his hands on Daniel's pale face, wiping the tears rolling down his cheeks with his thumbs. "You're not stupid, please don't call yourself that. I'm so sorry you had to go through all that, no one should ever have to go through that sort of pain or torture, especially as a child. Your parents didn't deserve to have you." He consoled, pulling Daniel close and holding him in his arms. "I shouldn't have loved them or tried to gain their affection." The blonde mumbled. "Affection is not something a child gains from a parent, Daniel. It's supposed to be given from the beginning, not earned through horrid acts. What you're parents did to you was very, very wrong." Daniel didn't say anything, choosing to sit in silence as the words sunk in. Minutes went by without a single word spoken, both of the men just sitting in content silence. David finally spoke, keeping his voice soft and gentle. "Why don't we watch a movie together? It'll help you get your mind off things."

Daniel smiled, nodding and pulling back. "I would love too." The two stood from the bed, lacing their hands together again and walking out of David's room. As they neared the main area in the counselor's cabin, another memory popped into Daniel's mind, a more recent one. It was the memory of the day David saved him from going to jail, the car ride to Camp Campbell.

 _Daniel sat inside an old, beat up car in complete silence. He shifted uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact with the owner of the vehicle. Glancing down at his clothes, he grimaced. He had been forced to change out of his prison uniform and the only clothes the jail had to provide him was an oversized blue shirt and a pair of old worn out jeans. He could practically feel the germs on these things and he had to force himself to ignore it or else he'd probably end up vomiting. Daniel choose instead to look out the window at the moving scenery, still trying to fully comprehend what on earth just happened! Everything seemed fake at the moment, like a dream or simulation, the only problem was Daniel wasn't waking up and he honest to god wanted to! He had been released from prison. That was a sentence he should not be able to say. This could not be real. Daniel looked at the driver out of the corner of his eyes. The familiar nature-loving, camp counselor behind the wheel had an unreadable look on his face as he drove down the seemingly unending road._

 _This was the longest Daniel had seen the overly enthusiastic brunette be completely silent. It was very unnerving and almost… wrong. He fiddled with his hands as the thought over the events that had transpired that day. Daniel had been sent to trial for all the crimes he had committed over the years, he was positive that he would be convicted and he was right. The trial didn't even take that long, two hours, before the jury reached their verdicts and he was found guilty. By then, Daniel had chased in all his checks, he needed to be in jail, so he pleaded guilty. Not in an attempt to get a reduced sentence, but as to own up to his horrid deeds and be punished for it. Just as he was about to be taken away to jail, David, the friendly happy go lucky Camp Campbell counselor, stood from where he was seated in the crowd. He began to beg and plead with the judge and jury for Daniel to be released. Minutes went by, then half an hour. Somehow, someway, he convinced them to let Daniel work at Camp Campbell for the summer, to prove he could change and become a better person._

 _David and Daniel met eyes during the brunette's speech, the blonde could see the determination in his forest green eyes. That led him to where he was now, sitting in David's old car, going over the blurred events in his head. The man felt sadness overtake him quickly, he grabbed his arms and sat there, staring out the window, wishing he was back in jail. "Are you uncomfortable, Daniel? You look cold. I could turn off the air if you want." David questioned, shooting the brooding man a quick glance. Daniel's frown deepened, David sounded… concerned, nice, as though he wasn't sitting right next to someone that was about to be sent to jail for murder. Daniel didn't answer his question, he instead countered with a question of his own. "Why are you doing this?" David blinked, giving the man a quizzical look. "What do you mean?" Daniel didn't meet his eyes, keeping his gaze on the passing scenery. "Why did you convince them to not send me to jail and… why are you so adamant on trying helping me?"_

 _David paused, not speaking. Daniel learned from David later on that he was finding a way to word this simply. "I'm a firm believer in second chances. I believe that, with enough time and guidance, anyone could become a good person. You were so quick to sign your life away, I couldn't just sit back and let them send you to jail, you would've been torn apart in there!" Daniel ripped his gaze away from the window and finally looked at David. "I could tell you felt bad about what you did, it was obvious. You had this pained expression that told me that you needed help and who am I to sit back and let them take you away like that?" No words came from Daniel, he just soaked up the words, like a sponge would water. Then he turned back to the window again, retreating into his mind in an attempt to piece together everything he just heard. This couldn't be real. It had to be a dream. "You can change, Daniel. I can see it."_

" _Believe what you want to believe, David."  
_  
Daniel smiled contently, looking over at David, who was grinning joyfully at the Disney Movie playing on the small TV. It was funny really. Ever since day one, David had been adamant that Daniel could change and he never stopped trying to get him to see that, even when the blonde would deny it. Daniel was so stuck in his self-loathing and depression that he didn't even want to give change a chance. He felt that he was meant to suffer, that he was meant to be miserable and that he was meant to be hated. But, David's kindness and care had helped him learn to see more in himself. He learned that he could feel more than just sorrow and pain. He was still upset with himself for what he did, but he was getting through it. Perhaps… with David's help, one day Daniel could grow past this and become better. If they stuck together, then maybe he could learn to be happy again…

 _He certainly hoped so._


	10. Singing into the night

It was late at night when Daniel left the counselor's cabin, fiddle case gripped tightly in hand. The stars shined brightly against the dark sky. For once, he wasn't nervous about being outside. All the campers had long since gone to their tents to get some sleep. This gave Daniel some time to not only be by himself but to also play his fiddle. Don't misunderstand, Daniel wasn't shy about playing music or singing, far from it, he would gladly pull out his fiddle and play for anyone that asked. But ever since he had been brought back to Camp Campbell, he had been afraid of playing it. Mostly because he felt the children wouldn't like him playing it. He felt like he would annoy them, or well, annoy them more then he felt he already did. He didn't want to be a bother, so for the past few days, Daniel had been sneaking out to the dock to play his fiddle and sing without the campers hearing. Daniel reached the dock within a few minutes, sitting carefully on the edge. He opened his case, gently pulling out the fiddle tucked safely inside and adjusting it so it was sitting comfortably on his shoulder.

He placed the bow to the strings and hummed in thought. What should he play? Something old or more modern? Something upbeat or more melancholy? Should he try something classical? So many options… A few specific ones popped into his head. "Hm, should I play Embers, Silhouette or Vanilla Twilight?" He muttered. All three of them were beautiful songs. Owl City was one of Daniel's favorite music artists, his music was so beautiful and metaphoric. Daniel had learned to play many of his songs on his fiddle and while it didn't sound as nice when he played it, he still loved it. Another hum left him as he began to move the bow slowly, he made his choice. " _There were days when each hour was a war I fought to survive,"_ Daniel had gone through many bad days over the course of his life, ranging from annoying to depressing. Some days he felt like he would die, like the events of that day would pierce his heart and take his last breath away, he would have to fight his emotions to stay positive. He hated those days. " _There were nights full of nightmares and I dreaded closing my eyes."_

Daniel's nightmares would come and go, making him scared to go to bed at night. If it wasn't for David's persistence, the blonde would probably stop sleeping altogether. He knew that he shouldn't be scared of the nightmares, that they were not real and that they couldn't physically hurt him, but they got to him emotionally. They things that he dreamed about would go after his emotions, toying with him, making him cry, making him think that they could one day come true. That's what he was scared of. " _There were skies that burst open with a downpour to drown me alive,"_ Sometimes, it felt like it was a constant rainy day. The ones where you want nothing more than to curl up and feel sad. Daniel had those days a lot. " _But the world took a spark like a match in the dark, and the fire brought me to life."_ But then, he would remember where he was now, how far he'd come from the murdering cultist with the unsettling smile. People were slowly starting to trust him, to like him. The world gave him a second chance. He was becoming happy again, he was feeling truly alive again.

" _So I'm fanning the flames to climb so high, 'cause there's no other way we can stay alive!"_ He just needed to overcome his flaws and faults. If he continued to fight like this, one day he would be truly him again, he would be a person again. He would climb up from the sadness and be happy once more! He couldn't be sad forever, he wouldn't survive that way. " _And you'll find there'll be mornings when the ashes and embers are cold,"_ There would be bad days, days where everything would go against him and he just wouldn't want to deal with it. " _But you'll fight with a passion, and you'll never stop 'cause you know, yeah you know, it gets better."_ But he would fight through it. Yes, it would be hard and he would get angry or cry, but it would be worth it, it always was. The days would get better. " _And your story is yet to be told."_ No one wants their story to be filled with only sadness and heartache. That isn't right, you need happiness, even if you deny yourself to feel it. " _Every push, every shove, every war, every love, yeah, the coals are beginning to glow!"  
_  
With every hardship one faces, they grow and evolve until the day you become new and happy. " _'Cause we're burning bright as we all unite,"_ Without the others in your life, you can't be happy. Daniel knew that well. " _And when it's all said and done, we'll shine like the sun, so don't let the fire die."_ Never give up, ever. Days may be bad, but things will get better eventually. " _And we'll watch the sky, as it fills with light,"_ And when the time comes, you can sit back and watch as the world becomes better. " _and though the embers are new, whatever you do, just don't let the fire die."_

" _And though the embers are new, whatever you do, just don't let the fire die, don't let the fire die."_

Daniel ended the song with a soft smile on his face, feeling calm. Singing calmed his nerves. Daniel's head snapped up when he heard the sound of clapping coming from behind him. David was clapping behind him. "David! I-I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" David shook his head, approaching him and sitting beside him. "Nope! I was already awake, I have trouble sleeping too sometimes." He admitted. Daniel noticed that David had his guitar strapped to his back. "Did you come out here to play music too?" The brunette nodded, shifting his guitar so that it was sitting on his legs. "Ding, Ding, Ding, we have a winner! You're not the only one that likes to play music at night. Although I will admit, you have a beautiful singing voice." Daniel's pale face blushed a dull scarlet. "I could say the same about you, David." The man in question laughed, smiling over at his blonde partner. "That song you were playing sounded familiar, was it an Owl City song?" Daniel nodded. "Yeah, Owl City is one of my favorite music artists. His songs are beautifully made and have such sweet meanings behind them."

He paused, looking off into the sky and smiling softly. "I actually see a lot of myself in his music." David hummed, strumming his guitar. "Do any of his songs remind you of us?" The blonde frowned, shooting his boyfriend a confused look. "You like our relationship?" David nodded, still strumming away at his guitar. Daniel blushed again, looking embarrassed. "I can think of a couple…" David smiled, raising an eyebrow. "And which ones would those be?" He asked. "If my heart was a house, Hey Anna, I'm coming after you… I can't live without you." David smiled lovingly at that last one. "I can see how all those songs fit us well, especially that first one. I've actually heard that song a lot, it's really sweet." Daniel nodded in agreement, smiling and continuing to watch the stars in the dark sky. It was slightly windy tonight, not cold, but quite calming. "Hey, I have an idea! We should play a duet!" Daniel blinked, tilting his head in confusion. He was not expecting that. "Uh, sure? What did you have in mind?"

"How about we play If my heart was a house? You already said it reminds you of us and it's such a pretty song! It'd be a perfect song to sing together!" The brunette exclaimed, his eyes lighting up at the idea of the two of them singing together! It would be amazing, the two of them harmonizing together, singing into the night without a care in the world. Daniel's heart fluttered and he found himself smiling again. David was such a sweet soul. "Sure," He shifted his fiddle so that it was back on his shoulder and placed his bow to the strings again. "You know how to play it, right?" He asked, just to be sure. When David nodded his head in response, Daniel began to drag the bow slowly across the strings. "I'll start us off then." David followed suit, strumming his guitar softly. " _You're the sky that I fell through, and I remember the view whenever I'm holding you."_ Daniel's voice was low and even, making David grin at the beauty of it. He didn't get to hear it often, but when he did, he cherished it. " _The sun hung from a string, looking down on the world as it warmed over everything."_

" _Chills run down my spine as our fingers intwine and your sighs harmonize with mine. Unmistakably I can still feel your heart, beat fast when you dance with me."_ David strummed a bit slower as they approached his part. " _We got older and I should have known,"_ Daniel sang, his face looking a little melancholy. " _Do you feel alive?"_ David's voice was soft and sweet. Like honey. Daniel almost choked at how much this sounded like their relationship. " _That I'd feel colder when I walk alone."_ Daniel's singing voice always made David smile, he sounded so pretty, like a gentle breeze. " _Oh, but you'll survive."_ Daniel smiled over at David as the sang the next part. " _So I may as well ditch my dismay."_

" _Bombs away... Bombs away…"_

The two sang in sync, their soft melody's ringing in the breezy air. " _Circle me and the needle moves gracefully, back and forth, if my heart was a compass you'd be North."_ Daniel sang, his voice rising in tone, obviously happy despite the natural look on his face. " _Risk it all cause I'll catch you if you fall, wherever you go if my heart was a house you'd be home~"_ David glanced at Daniel as he sang his part, love very prominent on his face. " _It makes me smile because you said it best, I would clearly feel blessed if the sun rose up from the west."_ The blonde's voice dipped low again, his heart filling with the love David was giving off. " _Flower balm perfume, all my clothes smell like you, cause your favorite shade is navy blue~"_ David once again looked over at Daniel, winking at him and making him blush. " _I walk slowly when I'm on my own."_ Daniel looked sad again, keeping his voice quiet and even. " _Do you feel alive?"_ David looked into the blonde's blue eyes, kindness, and concern clear in his gaze. " _Yeah, but frankly I still feel alone."_ Daniel looked away, his eyes downcast. " _Oh, but you'll survive."_ The brunette let his voice dip low as well, becoming softer and sweeter. Daniel scooted closer to David, resting his head on his shoulder. " _So I may as well ditch my dismay."_

" _Bombs away... Bombs away…"_

" _Circle me and the needle moves gracefully, back and forth, if my heart was a compass you'd be North."_ The blonde gazed up at his boyfriend contently, bright blue eyes glowing slightly from the light of the moon. " _Risk it all cause I'll catch you if you fall, wherever you go, if my heart was a house you'd be home~"_ David gazed back, his own eyes sparkling with happiness and unending love. " _If my heart was a house, you'd be home..."_ The two sang the last line in perfect sync, playing their instruments with smiles on their faces. Seconds went by, then minutes, until they had been sitting under the starry sky for almost a half hour. They had long since put their instruments away and just sat together. "That was wonderful…" Daniel spoke, making David smile. "It was, you have an amazing voice." Daniel chuckled. "As do you, my dear." Another minute passed. Daniel thought for a second, he wanted to say something, but he was worried if it was too soon. He huffed, better try it at least. "David?" The man in question hummed, looking down at his partner. "Hm?" Daniel bit his lip, playing with his hands. "I… I love you." David blinked, then he smiled, taking Daniel's hand into his and wrapping his free arm around him. "I love you too, Daniel." The blonde almost wanted to cry when he heard those words, his heart felt so overjoyed. The two sat under the stars for an hour more, cuddling beneath the moonlight.


	11. Nosocomephobia

Daniel was in quite the pickle at the moment. The blonde man was watching over the campers while David and Gwen went to get some supplies needed for the day's activities when Nurf started picking fights with the over campers. Daniel was currently standing between the ginger-haired boy and Preston, who was cowering behind him. "Nurf, _stop._ You are not allowed to hurt the other campers!" Daniel chided, giving the boy a stern look and keeping his voice calm. "I know that, I'm just acting out for attention. I'm sick of being ignored!" And there it was, Nurf's confusing reasoning for his violence and bullying. "Nurf, if you want attention, you have come to us. Trying to get attention through violence is not right." Daniel explained slowly, emphasizing the ' _not right'_ part. Nurf rolled his green eyes. "I'm not gonna listen to _you!"_ Nurf began walking closer to Daniel, causing him to take a step back. "I am your elder, Nurf. You're supposed to show me respect and I don't like the tone you're using right now." He stated, keeping his eyes trained on Nurf's.

Without warning, Nurf pulled out a small pocket knife and lunged at him. Daniel had no time to react. Within seconds, Nurf had driven the blade through the blonde's green shirt, piercing his shoulder and sinking in deep. Daniel's eyes widened and he shrieked, falling to the ground. " _Aghhh!"_ The other campers gasped, none of them knew what to do. Daniel looked at them, eyes wide and scared. "Go get David!" He shouted, pushing Nurf away from him and cringing as the pain in his shoulder increased from the movement. Harrison and Preston ran off immediately, yelling and screaming for David and Gwen. Blood slid down Daniel's arm, painting the green grass with drops of red. It suddenly became hard to breathe. Daniel started heaving, fear mixing with pain, making tears form in his eyes, then spill over and down his face. It felt like his shoulder had been splashed with lemon juice, making it sting and burn. Daniel began to cry loudly, coughing and sobbing in terror and agony. The world seemed to go dark, black clouds forming in his eyes, making it impossible to see, but one thing was clear, he was _panicking._

His mind began to swim as various fears and phobias raced into his head, completely taking over his mind. Before anyone could realize it, Daniel had begun to hyperventilate. He felt sick like he was about to throw up but his mouth was completely dry. He wanted to scream for someone, but he couldn't say anything. He was becoming light-headed, like he was about to faint. It was suddenly incredibly cold, making him shiver and shake uncontrollably. His fears began to overtake him. So many voices began screaming simultaneously in his mind.

' _Am I going to die-?!'_

' _I could bleed to death-!'_

' _It hurts so much-!'_

' _I don't want to die-!'_

' _Someone, help me please-!'_

' _I'm going to die, I'm going to DIE-!'_

 **'** ** _HELP ME-!'_**

"Daniel!" Daniel's head shot up at the sound of that voice. David was knelt in front of him, his hands inches away from him, but not touching him, worry and concern written on his face. "Daniel, _breath."_ Daniel didn't process the instruction, his mind wasn't able to focus on David. It was too busy panicking. David's face turned serious when he didn't comply. "Daniel, can I touch you?" The blonde couldn't say anything, he just nodded his head shakily, not knowing what else to do. David gently wrapped his arms around Daniel, pulling him close and cradling him close to his chest. "Breath, Daniel, breath. Focus on my heartbeat. Breath with it." He instructed calmly, keeping his sentences short and simple. Daniel managed to do as he was told, listening to David's heartbeat and breathing along to it. "Everything is okay. You can get through this." David's voice was like a light in the dark, it was grounding him, making him feel warm and safe. Close to ten minutes went by before Daniel had calmed him breathing down. The world was full of light and warmth once again. "See? You're okay. You're okay." Daniel nodded slowly, closing his eyes and sighing heavily. "Are you better now?"

"Yeah… Yeah, I think so…" David sighed in relief, getting to his feet and carefully pulling Daniel up with him. The brunette looked at his wounded and bloodied shoulder, pain and concern clear on his face. "What happened?" He asked, his gaze not moving from the blade stuck in Daniel's shoulder. "Nurf was messing with the campers and I tried to make him stop… then he pulled out a knife and stabbed me. I didn't have any time to react or stop him." Daniel whimpered, he was still shaking. "Oh, Daniel…" David almost teared up at seeing his boyfriend in so much pain. "We really need to find out where he keeps getting those knives." Daniel muttered, then he looked around and noticed that the campers were no longer there. "Where is everyone?" He asked, frowning in confusion. "I told Gwen to take the campers inside the mess-hall, that way they wouldn't be watching me calm you down." David explained, making Daniel even more confused. "Why?"

"Daniel, _you were having a panic attack._ I needed to make the campers leave so it would be quiet. It's best for someone having a panic attack to move to a quiet place so they can calm down." He stated slowly, then his face became serious again. "But that doesn't matter now, I need to call an ambulance and you need to go to the hospital." He said firmly, pulling out his phone and starting to dial the emergency number. Daniel's already pale face went as white as a sheet and his entire body froze in place. He shook his head frantically, bright blue eyes wide and full of terror. "No! Nononononono! I can't go to the hospital!" He shouted, his blood turning ice cold. David paused, holding his phone and furrowing his eyebrows in concern. "Daniel, you really should go see professionals about stab wounds. What's wrong with the hospital?" Daniel's face twisted in fear, repressed memories of his visit to the hospital when he was poisoned rushing into his mind. He had to get his stomach pumped and the doctors were not gentle, they were not gentle at _all_. Pain… _so much pain…_ "T-The doctors hate me! When I was sent to the hospital after drinking that poison, they treated me awfully! They… they…"

Daniel wrapped his arms around himself, ignoring the jarring pain it caused in his wounded arm. "They were rough, I don't think the even tried to stop the pain I was in. They said so many horrible things about me, they glared and scowled at me. Th-they'll let me die, I know they will! They'll let me bleed out the moment they take out the knife!" He trembled, his voice wavering with fear. David furrowed his brows, biting his lower lip as he thought. "Daniel, if your arm is wounded, then that shouldn't be enough to kill you. I know a little about medicine and wounds, but not enough to give you the treatment you need." The brunette wanted to just hug his poor partner, to keep him close and not let him go, but it also felt like if he did, he would just break. "I'll go with you. I'll stay with you through the whole thing, and I'll keep you safe if they try to pull anything." He stepped closer, placing a hand on Daniel's face. "But you need to go to the hospital." He coaxed softly. "I-I..." Daniel thought over his options, he knew he probably wouldn't die, but at the same time, his fear of hospitals was forcing that into his mind. He frowned in defeat. "I'll go…"

David gave his boyfriend a reassuring smile, putting their foreheads together. "Thank you. I know that wasn't an easy decision to make, I'm so proud of you." David turned back to his phone, dialing the number and talking to the dispatcher. Daniel didn't respond to David, he was too busy trying to calm his growing anxiety about going to the hospital again. His body began to shake involuntarily. Once David was done talking to the dispatch all that was left to do was wait for the ambulance. David looked to Daniel, noticing how upset he was right off the bat. "I…um…" He managed. "I don't know what this is like for you, but I know you're upset. If there's anything I can do, _please_ tell me. You're important to me Daniel and I won't _ever_ let anyone hurt you." He said this as both a promise to Daniel and to himself. He wasn't going to let him be hurt again. "I'm scared." He suddenly blurted out, voice shaking with fear. "I know I shouldn't be, but I'm scared."

"I…" David paused, appearing to be deep in thought, then he sighed. "I know. I'm just not sure how to help you not be scared. Can I… hold you?" He offered sweetly, holding his arms open. "Y-yes." Daniel nodded his head immediately. "Yes, _please…"_ David pulled him close, making sure to not touch his injured arm and waiting for the ambulance to come. When it finally arrived, he remained as close to Daniel as he was allowed to, making sure that the workers touched him as little as possible, and only when absolutely necessary. He continued to talk calmly with him, comforting him. "It's okay, I've got you. You're safe. I'm so proud of you." He repeated those words in order to keep his partner from having a nervous breakdown or worse, another panic attack. They arrived at the hospital surprisingly quickly, David made sure to stay close to Daniel as he was guided to a room, sitting next to him on the bed when they were left alone. Daniel was obviously still uncomfortable and scared, like a little-spooked cat. David kept him close, one of his arms was wrapped around him, rubbing his side comfortingly.

The doctor and nurses didn't take long, they entered the room with their equipment. David had to leave his partner's side for a bit so the doctor could assess his shoulder. "Hm, this is deep. It appears that you'll be needing stitches, Mr. Anderson. It doesn't look to be in too deep though, you're quite lucky." She concluded, turning to her nurses and asking them for some numbing medication and a syringe. When the needle was presented, Daniel flinched back slightly. Now, he could take needles and he could take the pain, but his anxiety about being in a hospital drove him to be apprehensive. For all he knew that syringe could be filled with some type of fast-acting poison. David noticed Daniel's discomfort immediately and tentatively asked the doctor if it would be okay to hold Daniel's hand to keep him calm. She allowed him, so the brunette took his place next to the scared man and held his hand, squeezing it comfortingly. David felt very protective of Daniel at the moment, he was worried about him and he wanted him to feel better. Daniel needed to see that the doctors and nurses are nice people, that the hospital was a safe place. "You're doing great, Daniel. I'm proud of you."

"This will sting for a moment, Mr. Anderson. Please keep still for me." Daniel nodded slowly, squeezing David's hand tightly and bracing himself for pain. _It stung,_ just like the doctor said. Luckily for him, he only needed two infections since the knife was so small. It took a minute for his shoulder to numb, but once it did, the doctor started to remove the knife. "You might feel some pressure after the knife is removed, don't worry, it's just the nurse. She'll need to control the bleeding by holding a cloth to the wound." She explained. Daniel didn't respond, he was too busy prepping himself for more pain. It never came. Instead, he felt pressure, just as the doctor said he would. Despite being told that he would just feel pressure, he just expected there to be some type of pain. The doctor went on with the procedure, stitching his shoulder up and explaining what he would need to do in order to let the wound heal. They were simple instructions; Keep the wound dry and clean, change the bandage twice daily, etc. After giving him the date for him to come back and get the stitches removed, she discharged him.

David guided Daniel out of the hospital. "You did great, Daniel! See, the hospital isn't so bad, is it?" The blonde shrugged slightly, still feeling a little shaken up about the whole ordeal. "I guess…" He mumbled, averting his eyes from David's. David frowned in worry. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?" He asked softly, concern shining through him once again. Daniel sighed, shaking his head in frustration. "I just feel embarrassed… Bad? Guilty? I don't know…" The brunette walked a little closer to his partner, reaching out and grabbing his hand, rubbing it gently. "Guilty? Why do you feel guilty?" He questioned, tilting his head. "Because I shouldn't have brought you into this! I shouldn't be afraid of going to a hospital and I especially shouldn't need someone to hold my hand through it! Only a young child would cry over something so small, but there I was, bawling my eyes out. I'm a full grown, not a toddler! God, I'm so stupid." He confessed, his face heating up in embarrassment and shame. David shook his head, cupping his cheek with his free hand and looking into his blue eyes.

"Daniel, it's okay to have fears. Everyone is afraid of something, even me! Being scared of hospitals isn't a bad thing, you just need to learn that it's a safe place. It by no means makes you stupid." He consoled, pulling him into his arms, petting his hair with one of his free hands. "You don't need to feel guilty for needing me to help you through your fear. I want to help you in any way I can. I care about you, Daniel. Don't forget that." The blonde hugged his boyfriend back, smiling slightly. David knew just the right things to say to make him feel better. He was thankful for it. "Thank you, David." The two stood in silence, hugging each other.

"Uh, David?"

"Yes, Daniel?"

"How are we going to get back to the camp?"

"We'll take the car silly!"

"David, you called an ambulance. We didn't drive the car here."

"...Gosh, dang it!"


End file.
